El Abuelito Queso Fresco products recalled as FDA, CDC investigate listeria outbreak
Certain El Abuelito Queso Fresco products have been recalled as the FDA and CDC investigate their link to a listeria outbreak in several states.
On Friday, El Abuelito Cheese Inc., based in New Jersey, recalled all of its Queso Fresco products with sell-by dates through March 28, 2021, the FDA said. The company has stopped producing and distributing all of its products.
Recalled queso fresco products include those under the El Abuelito, Rio Grande and Rio Lindo brand distributed in Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. A full list of products can be found on the FDA website.
The FDA is advising anyone who bought these recalled products to throw them away and also clean and sanitize any surface or container that the products came into contact with. Listeria can survive in refrigerated temperatures and easily spread to other foods and surfaces.
Seven people across four states have become ill with listeria in this outbreak. New York, Virginia and Connecticut each have had one patient while Maryland has had four. All seven patients have been hospitalized, according to the CDC.
On Wednesday, the CDC issued a food-safety alert for El Abuelito queso fresco cheese due to its connection to a listeria outbreak. The health agency also urged consumers to avoid other Hispanic-style fresh and soft cheeses that do not have a “Made with pasteurized milk” label.
Connecticut Department of Public Health officials found listeria in samples of El Abuelito-brand queso fresco cheese at the same store where a person who became ill had purchased Hispanic-style fresh and soft cheeses, the CDC said. The Connecticut health department also put out a warning about the cheeses.
Listeria hits about 1,600 Americans each year, the CDC says, and kills about 260. The worst consequences usually hit senior citizens, children under 5 and people with damaged immune systems. People not in one of these groups are unlikely to become very sick, the CDC says.
Listeria can cause miscarriage and stillbirths in pregnant women. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headaches, confusion and poor balance.
This story was originally published February 20, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
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