Smith's Country Cheese of Winchendon, MA is recalling 21 wheels of Waxed Gouda, because it 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.
Waxed Gouda wheels were distributed in Massachusetts by wholesale distributors and further sold to retail stores.
The wheels are coated in red wax and wrapped in saran wrap with various weights of whole wheels at 10 lbs and half wheels at 5 lbs. May have been cut and packaged at retail level for consumer size units. There are labels on the front that read Smith's Farmstead Gouda for whole wheels and Mountain Gouda for half wheels. On the back of the wheel there is a weight label with a julian date in the lower right hand corner that reads 4037.
No illnesses have been reported to date.
The recall was the result of a routine sampling by the FDA which revealed that the finished products contained the bacteria.
Consumers who have purchased Smith's Farmstead Gouda waxed wheels are urged not to consume and to return them to Smith's Country Cheese, Inc. at 20 Otter River Road, Winchendon, MA 01475 for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact Smith's Country Cheese, Inc. at 1-800-700-9974 Monday through Friday between 9:00 am to 5:00
pm EST
.
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