The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Unicer Foods Ltd. are recalling Queijo de Vaca cheese because it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. There are no illness reports to date, but listeriosis can take up to 2 months to manifest.
The recalled product is Bravo Queijo de Vaca whole cow’s milk cheese. It was sold in variable sizes with no UPC number. The codes on the product are: best before 14/10/14, Lot: 14BPMTAUMT, and Production: 14/05/14. The cheese was sold in Ontario and Quebec.
The recall was triggered by CFIA inspections. If you purchased this product, do not eat it. Discard in a closed container or return to the place of purchase for a refund. Then clean your refrigerator with a mild bleach solution, since the Listeria bacteria can grow at refrigerator temperatures.
If you ate any of these products, monitor yourself for the symptoms of listeriosis for the next two months, because that’s how long it can take for symptoms to manifest. The symptoms of a Listeria infection are flu-like, including fever, muscle aches, diarrhea, GI problems, headache, stiff neck, and confusion. Listeria can be serious in those in high risk groups, and can cause miscarriage and stillbirth in pregnant women.
