Whole Foods Market in Texas is voluntarily recalling Maytag Raw Milk Blue Cheese because it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. No illnesses have been reported in connection with the consumption of this product, but the illness caused by this bacteria can take up to 70 days to appear. The recalled cheese was sold cut and packaged in clear plastic wrap with scale labels in different weights reading "Maytag Blue Raw Milk," "Maytag Blue," or "Maytag Iowa Blue Cheese." The PLU numbers on the labels begin with 293308 and "sell by" dates are 1/20/2016 and 3/21/16. The product was sold from cheese cases in various Whole Foods Market stores nationwide. The potential for contamination was discovered after testing by the State of Iowa found the pathogenic bacteria in two lots of … [Read more...]
Maytag Dairy Farms Expands Raw Milk Blue Cheese Recall for Listeria
Maytag Dairy Farms in Newton, Iowa is expanding their recall of Maytag Raw Milk Blue Cheese for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. They recalled one lot number this past weekend. To date no illnesses have been reported in connection with the consumption of these products, but listeriosis, the illness caused by this bacteria, can take up to 70 days to appear. The recalled cheeses are from Lot 150482. The cheeses recalled on February 14, 2016 are from Lot 150481. This new lot includes about 1,100 pounds of cheese. Some was distributed to retail locations before the initial recall. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship's Dairy Products Control Bureau discovered the possible contamination as part of the follow up testing of cheese products from that … [Read more...]
FDA Examining Raw Milk Cheese Criteria
Cheesemakers, especially artisan producers, have suggested that the FDA is applying safety criteria to raw milk cheese production that limits producers without benefitting public health. Raw milk cheeses have been linked to recalls and food poisoning outbreaks in the past several years. Raw milk cheese produced by Family Cow in Pennsylvania caused Campylobacter illnesses in 2013, and there have been dozens of recalls of raw milk cheeses over the years. Raw milk cheese has been recalled for Campylobacter, Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria monocytogenes contamination in all of the four years Food Poisoning Bulletin has been published. Some studies have concluded that aged raw milk cheeses are safe to eat, since the aging process changes the composition of the cheese. Aging reduces the … [Read more...]
Raw Milk Aged Cheeses Are Relatively Safe, According to Study
According to a study published in Food Microbiology, raw milk aged cheeses are relatively safe. The cheeses must be aged at least 60 days, at temperatures not less than 35 degrees F. The aging process produces low pH, low water activity, and high salt content that renders the cheese inhospitable to bacteria, yeast, and molds. The regulations regarding raw milk aged cheeses were enacted in 1950, "long before contemporary pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli 0157:H7, and Campylobacter had been recognized," according to the study. Those bacteria can tolerate inhospitable environments such as low pH and low water activity. In the last 20 years, "many small and several large foodborne outbreaks linked to consumption of cheese made from unpasteurized milk have occurred, both … [Read more...]
