The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) have announced that Homestead Creamery of Jamesport, Missouri is recalling a 250 pound batch of its Flory’s Favorite cheese from the marketplace. Test results indicate that the cheese may be contaminated with Shiga toxin producing E. coli bacteria, which causes serious foodborne illness. There is an outbreak of E. coli at this time in northwest Missouri.
As of January 14, 2013, seven people are sick with Shiga toxin producing E. coli in Missouri. Two toddlers are hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome, a complication that can cause kidney failure and death. The press release from the MDA did not indicate whether or not this recalled product is associated with the outbreak.
The facility’s plant license to sell milk products in Missouri has been temporarily suspended. The product, called Flory’s Favorite, is a 60-day aged cheese made with raw milk. The packages are marked “Packed on 210” on the label.
The cheese was sold at the Homestead Creamery facility in Jamesport, Missouri, and may have been sold at HyVee in Liberty, Missouri, HyVee in Trenton, Missouri, Benedict Builders’ Farm in Knob Noster, Missouri, and Milton Creamery in Milton, Iowa. If you purchased this cheese, do not consume it. Return it to the place of purchase for a refund.
The symptoms of a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infection include severe cramps, watery and/or bloody diarrhea, mild fever, and possible nausea and vomiting. E. coli infections are a major cause of bloody diarrhea in the United States. If you are experiencing these symptoms, which usually occur suddenly about 7 days after infection, see your doctor immediately.
