Whole Foods Market Recalls Cheese

Whole Foods Market is recalling Crave Brothers Les Frères cheese in response to a recall by the Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese Company of Waterloo, Wisconsin. The cheese has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women. To date, one illness and one death have been reported. Crave Brothers was informed by regulatory agencies of an ongoing investigation related to potential health risks associated with Listeria monocytogenes. The company immediately ceased the production and distribution of the products.

The recalled Crave Brothers Les Frères cheese was cut and packaged in clear plastic wrap and sold with Whole Foods Market scale labels. Below is a list of how the cheese was labeled, including PLU code, according to the state in which it was sold.

State	Labeled as	PLU
Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas	Les Frères	299682
Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, New Mexico, Utah	Crave Brothers Les Frères	299682
Florida	Les Frères Wash Rind Product of USA	294473
Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey (stores in Marlton and Princeton only), Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Washington D.C.	Crave Bros Les Frères	294473
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin	Crave Brothers Les Frères Cheese by Pound	294473
Oregon, Washington	Les Frères Crave Brothers	294473
Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee	Les Frères Crave Brothers PO-RK	294473

Whole Foods Market is posting signs in stores to notify customers of this recall. Customers who have purchased this product from Whole Foods Market should discard it, and may bring in their receipt for a full refund. Questions about this can be directed to 512-477-5566 ext. 20060, Monday-Friday from 8 am to 5 pm CDT. Consumers with questions about Crave Brothers cheese may contact the company directly: Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese Company at 920-478-4887, Monday-Friday from 8 am to 5 pm CDT.

Five cases of Listeriosis have been reported so far.  Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio each had one case and  Minnesota had two including the death case. All five ill persons were hospitalized. One illness in a pregnant woman resulted in a miscarriage. Foods that have been linked  to outbreaks in recent years are Mexican-style soft cheeses, imported ricotta salata cheese, whole cantaloupe, raw sprouts, and pre cut celery.

Tests conducted by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture on samples of Les Frères and Petit Frère with Truffles cheeses made by Crave Brothers from two retail stores indicate the presence of the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes. They are doing more tests now.

Listeriosis is an extremely deadly disease which can have death rates of up  to 50%. It can cause a brain infection called meningitis