Cheese Recall Expanded Amid Listeria Concerns

Even more cheese is being pulled from store shelves amid ongoing listeria concerns. Following an initial recall earlier in December for Igor brand gorgonzola mild ripened blue-veined cheese, Jan K. Overweel Limited expanded the recall on Dec. 16 to include Igor brand Gorgonzola Dolce.

A notice posted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) alerted consumers to the recall's expansion. Per the notice, Igor brand Gorgonzola Dolce with a Best Before date of 23/FE/01 and Lotto 2774015 and Best Before date of 23/FE/01 and Lotto 2775033 are affected. The cheese was sold in variable sizes, with multiple UPC codes affected. The recall mostly affects consumers in Canada, where the cheese was sold in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec, though it may have been distributed in other provinces and territories. The CFIA also warned that the "product may have been sold by various retailers, either clerk-served or in smaller packages, with or without a label that may not bear the same brand, product name or best before date."

The Dec. 16 update came just a week after Jan K. Overweel Limited issued its initial recall for Igor brand gorgonzola mild ripened blue-veined cheese. The cheese affected was sold in a 350-gram size, with affected products bearing UPC 8 021398 400069, Best Before date 2023/FE/01, and lot number 2777001. The cheese was sold in Ontario and Quebec.

The growing cheese recall was triggered by CFIA test results, which detected the presence of listeria in the products. Listeria monocytogenes is the bacterium that can cause listeria infection, a serious infection typically caused by consuming contaminated food. Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. Young children, frail or elderly people, pregnant women, and others with weakened immune systems are at the highest risk. In some cases, it can be fatal.

The CFIA gave the recall a Class 1 classification, meaning "there is a high risk that consuming the food may lead to serious health problems or death." No illnesses have been reported at this time. However, out of an abundance of precaution due to the severe health risk the products pose, the CFIA advised that the cheese products should not be consumed, used, sold, or distributed. The products should instead be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.