Roos Foods of Kenton, DE is expanding its recall of cheeses that may be contaminated with the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. The recall now includes all lots of Amigo and Mexicana brands of Requesón part-skim ricotta in 15 oz. and 16 oz. plastic containers and all lots of Amigo, Mexicana and Santa Rosa De Lima brands of Queso de Huerta (fresh curd cheese).
These cheese and others, listed below, were sold at Megamart and other grocery stores in Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. They are being recalled in association with a Listeria outbreak that has sickened seven people in Maryland and killed one person in California.
In addition to the cheeses listed above, all lots of the following cheese are being recalled: Cuajada En Terron, Cuajada/Cuajadita Cacera, Cuajada Fresca, Queso Fresca Round and Queso Dura Viejo Hard Cheeses sold under the brand names Amigo, Mexicana, Santa Rosa De Lima, and Queso Fresco sold under the Anita brand name. The recalled cheeses were packaged in flexible plastic bags and rigid plastic clam shell packages in 12 oz. and 16 oz. sizes.
Consumers who have purchased any of these products should not eat them. Only about 800 cases of listeriosis are reported nationwide each year. About 90 percent of cases require hospitalization and about 16 percent of cases are fatal.
Especially dangerous for pregnant women, listeriosis causes miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth and birth defects even while the mother experiences only mild flu-like symptoms. In this outbreak, four of the cases are mother/newborn pairs and another patient is a newborn. The CDC has not released the age of the person who died.
