Ten days after Maryland health officials issued a warning about Picnic Gourmet Spreads, the company issued a recall for possible contamination with Listeria. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with any of these products. Listeria bacteria can cause a serious, sometimes fatal infection called listeriosis. Symptoms can take up to 70 days after exposure to develop. They include: fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, which can be preceded by nausea or diarrhea. Those most at risk for disease include pregnant women, newborns, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. Among pregnant women, listeriosis can cause fever and other flu-like symptoms. The potentially contaminated products include Red Pepper Feta … [Read more...]
FDA Finds Listeria at Plant, Links Karoun Dairies to Outbreak
FDA inspectors found Listeria at a manufacturing facility where cheese associated with a a deadly Listeria outbreak is made. Genomic testing has revealed that the strain found in samples taken from the plant closely resembles the outbreak strain in those who became ill. An outbreak associated with soft cheeses produced by Karoun Dairies, Inc. of San Fernando, California has caused 24 illnesses, one miscarriage and one fatality. The most recent illnesses were reported this summer. Then health officials used genetic testing to identify cases in nine states going back to 2010. This is similar to how the Blue Bell Listeria outbreak was discovered and investigated. Several of the case patients in this outbreak mentioned eating Karoun cheeses before becoming ill. Investigators collected … [Read more...]
Fatality, Miscarriage in Listeria Outbreak Linked to Soft Cheeses
A Listeria outbreak linked to soft cheeses has sickened 24 people, killing one of them and causing one miscarriage, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The cases, reported from nine states over a five-year period, are associated with cheeses produced by Karoun Dairies, Inc. of San Fernando, California which have been recalled. The recalled products are vacuum packed, in jars or in pails under the brands: Karoun, Arz, Gopi, Queso Del Valle, Central Valley Creamery, Gopi, and Yanni. Weights vary from 5 ounces to 30 pounds. They were distributed to nationwide to grocery stores and food service accounts. Two of the stores that carried the recalled products are Publix and Sam's Club. Consumers who have purchased these cheese should not eat them as Listeria … [Read more...]
