Smith’s Country Cheese of Winchendon, MA is recalling 21 wheels of waxed gouda for potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. People who have purchased this cheese should not eat it as Listeria can cause serious, sometimes fatal infections. At the time of the recall, no illnesses had been reported.
The recalled wheels of cheese were distributed in Massachusetts and sold to retail stores. They were coated in red wax and wrapped in saran wrap. The whole wheels weigh 10 lbs and labeled Smith’s Farmstead Gouda. The half wheels weigh 5 lbs and labeled Mountain Gouda. A weight label with a julian date in the lower right hand corner that reads 4037 is on the back. .Many wheels and half wheels were likely cut and packaged into consumer sizes at the retail level.
Listeria can cause listeriosis, a serious, sometimes fatal infections. Symptoms include fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Young children, seniors, pregnant women and others with weakened immune systems are at special risk. Listeriosis can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
