Shredded cheese and pimento spread put on a listeria list

Listeria problems in Indiana and North Carolina reached down to Florida as Publix notified customers of two recent recalls.

Publix sells two brands of Sargento cheeses and five brands of Ruth’s pimento spread included in national recalls over listeria concerns.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, “listeriosis is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. An estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die. The infection is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems.”

A listeria issue at Deutsch Kase Haus in Middlebury, Indiana, spurred at least five national recalls, one of which came from Sargento.

Sargento recalled two products because of potential contamination, then five others produced on the same line. Among those second five are two products sold at Publix in eight-ounce packs, Sargento Off The Block Shredded Fine Cut Cheddar Jack Cheese with a sell by date of July 5, 2017 and Sargento Chef Blends Shredded Taco Cheese with sell by dates of June 14, 2017 and June 28, 2017.

Ruth’s first recall notice on the U.S. Food & Drug Administration site says random testing by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture discovered its listeria problem. When that Feb. 2 recall got expanded on Feb. 9, the company forgot to include Florida as a place products in the second recall were sold.

Publix, however, told customers it sells Ruth’s Original Spread in the 7-ounce and 12-ounce containers; Ruth’s Old Fashion Pimento Spread in 16-ounce containers; Ruth’s Jalapeno Pimento Spread in 12-ounce containers; and Ruth’s Lite Pimento Spread in 12-ounce containers.

Customers should return these products to Publix for a refund.

This story was originally published February 16, 2017 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Shredded cheese and pimento spread put on a listeria list."