Whole Foods Market is voluntarily recalling Explorateur French Triple Creme Cheese from nine stores for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this recall.
The cheese was sold from nine stores in New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, Illinois, Connecticut and New Jersey. The recall is for Explorateur French Triple Creme cheese (sold under the names Explorateur, Explorateur French Triple Crème Cheese and Explorateur Triple Crème French Cheese). The cheeses were both cut and packaged in clear plastic wrap, as well as sold in branded 8 ounce packages. All cheese had “sell by” dates from 02/15/2018 through 04/03/2018. The issue was discovered when Whole Foods Market was notified by a distributor of a positive test result for Listeria monocytogenes.
The product sold as Explorateur French Triple Creme had scale labels beginning with PLU code 0294317. It was sold at these Whole Foods Market stores: 90 East Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, Connecticut; 222 Main Street, Madison, New Jersey; and 701 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair, New Jersey.
The products sold as Explorateur Triple Creme French Cheese had scale labels beginning with the PLU code 203971. It was sold at Whole Foods Market stores in: 7245 Lake Street, River Forest, Illinois, and 760 Waukegan Road, Deerfield, Illinois.
The products sold as Explorateur had the scale labels beginning with PLU code 293693. They were sold at: 753 Cerillos Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and 100 Pitt Street, El Paso, Texas.
Finally, the products sold as Explorateur were in 8 ounce branded packages with UPC number 339001000408 and lot codes H10, H010, H11, or H011. They were sold at these stores: 753 Cerillos Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico; 100 Pitt Street, El Paso, Texas; 7245 Lake Street, River Forest, Illinois; 760 Waukegan Road, Deerfield, Illinois; 501 Bowman Road, Little Rock, Arkansas; and 11920 Domain Drive, Austin, Texas.
If you purchased any of these products, don’t eat them. Throw them away in a double sealed package, or take them or the receipt back to the store where you bought the cheese for a refund.
It’s important that you then clean the refrigerator with a mild bleach solution to kill bacteria. Listeria monocytogenes can grow at refrigerator temperatures. Freezing doesn’t kill it.
If you ate any of these cheeses, monitor yourself for the symptoms of listeriosis for the next 70 days. Those symptoms include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, muscle aches, nausea, and diarrhea. Pregnant women may only have a mild flu-like illness, but this disease can cause premature labor, stillbirth, and miscarriage.
