Bleating Heart Cheese is expanding its voluntary recall of sheep milk, goat milk, water buffalo milk and cow’s milk cheeses produced between February 14, 2014 and September 19, 2014 for possible Listeria contamination. All of the cheeses produced between those dates are begin recalled. No illnesses have been reported at this time, but listeriosis, the illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, can take up to 70 days to manifest.
The cheeses recalled are “Buff Ewe Blue” and “Buff Blue” natural rind, blue-style cheese, aged 3 – 4 months; “Double Down Blue” – natural rind, blue-style cheese, aged 3 – 4 months with a double heart imprint on the rind; “Ewelicious Blue” – natural rind, blue-style cheese, aged 2 – 3 months; and “Fat Bottom Girl” – natural rind, aged 2 – 3 months.
Also recalled is “Funky Beats” – washed rind, aged 2 – 3 months, which has been sold out for a while; “Goldette Tommette” – natural rind, aged 2 – 3 months; “Mixtress” – natural rind, aged 2 – 3 months; “Moolicious Blue” – natural rind blue-style cheese, aged 3 – 4 months; and “Shepherdista” – natural rind, aged 2 – 3 months. The codes on the cheese is between 14-0214 and 14-0919. The cheeses were sold to distributors in California and Pennsylvania. You can see pictures of product labels at the FDA site.
If you purchased any of these cheeses, discard them in a double bag or sealed container so no animals or other people can eat them or return to the place of purchase for a refund. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling the cheese. Wash your refrigerator with a mild bleach solution to kill any remaining bacteria, since Listeria can grow at refrigerator temperatures.
If you ate any of these cheeses, monitor yourself for listeriosis for the 70 days after consumption. Those symptoms include high feet, headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Pregnant women can suffer miscarriage and stillbirth with listeriosis even though they are only mildly sick. If you do get sick, see your doctor immediately.
