Whole Foods Recalls Cheese Over Listeria Fears
No illness or infections have been reported in connection with the cheese.
— -- Whole Foods is recalling a specific kind of cheese from stores nationwide after a dangerous form of bacteria that causes listeria infections was found by U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials.
In a statement on the Whole Foods website, the company said it is recalling the Papillion Organic Roquefort cheese in their stores after FDA officials found evidence of the Listeria Monocytogenes in an uncut wheel of the cheese during a sample test. All sell-by dates of the cheese have been affected according to the company.
Papillion did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Currently the company reported there have been no reported illnesses or infections associated with the bacteria, however experts say infections related to the bacteria can be hard to track due to a long incubation period.
Bill Marler, a food safety lawyer, pointed out that the incubation for a Listeria infection can be anywhere from two to 60 days.
"Listeria is very, very hard to track," he said.
Those at risk for listeria infections, which can be deadly, include the very young and old, along with pregnant women and anyone who has a compromised immune system. Symptoms include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Pregnant women can risk having a miscarriage or stillbirth if they are infected with the bacteria.
"It goes to show how important it is to do end product testing, BEFORE, the product is shipped," Marler said in an email to ABC News.