Whole Foods Market is recalling Crave Brothers soft cheeses because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that can cause serious illness. The product is linked to a multi state Listeria outbreak that has sickened five, killed one person, and caused a miscarriage. The repackaged cheese was cut at the store and wrapped in clear plastic wrap. It has the Whole Foods Market scale labels instead of the Crave Brothers label.
This recall is in addition to the recall of the cheese sold under the Crave Brothers label. The cheese packaged with the Whole Foods label was sold in 30 states and Washington, D.C. under several names, including “Les Freres” and “Crave Brothers Les Freres”. The Crave Brothers cheeses that are recalled are Les Frères, Petit Frère, and Petit Frère with Truffles. That cheese was recalled on July 3, 2013.
The symptoms of listeriosis, the infection caused by the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, include severe headache, high fever, neck stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Pregnant women may have only mild-flu like symptoms, but the infection can cause miscarriage and stillbirth. Since symptoms can appear up to 70 days after you are exposed to the bacteria, it is often difficult to link the infection to the contaminated food.
If you ate this cheese, contact your doctor and tell her about it, then monitor yourself for symptoms for the next two months. You should also clean your refrigerator and kitchen with a mild bleach solution. Listeria is a hardy bacteria that can grow at refrigerator temperatures, and cross-contamination is a real possibility.
i have eaten brie cheese put out by president cheese,and i have been very ill for the past week. with fever, headaches, nausea,vomiting,tummy pains,could not eat and lastly diahrea. it has been really miserable. a couple of times i thought i was going to die,to sick to go to the hospital. i am still dealing with the end results,but getting better. ilse beebe