Cream cheese being recalled because of Listeria contamination
Made Fresh Salads Inc. of Bay Shore, New York, is recalling assorted cream cheese flavors because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
The cream cheese was distributed to the Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and New York City area via direct delivery to retail stores and distributors. The products are dispensed in 5-pound white plastic bins with a Made Fresh Salads label. The recalled flavors are as follows with expiration dates listed in the lower left corner of the label.
5 lbs Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese
5 lbs Caramel Apple Cream Cheese
5 lbs blueberry cream cheese
5 lbs garlic and herb cream cheese
5 lbs jalapeno cream cheese
5 lbs jalapeno and cheddar cream cheese
5 lb jar of Lox cream cheese
5 lbs green onion cream cheese
5 lbs strawberry cream cheese
5 lb jar of sundried tomato cream cheese
5 lb jar of vegetable cream cheese
5 lbs nut and raisin cream cheese
5 lbs whipped cream cheese
5 lb pot of whipped tofu
No illnesses have been reported to date.
The recall follows a routine sampling program conducted by the company which revealed that part of the mixer used to make the finished products was contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The company stopped production of the blender in question and decommissioned it.
About Listeria Infections
Foods contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look, smell, or taste altered, but can still cause serious or even fatal infections. Anyone who has eaten any of the recalled cream cheeses and developed symptoms of Listeria infection should seek medical attention and inform their doctor of possible Listeria exposure.
Additionally, anyone who has consumed any of the recalled products should self-monitor for symptoms over the coming weeks, as it can take up to 70 days after exposure to Listeria for symptoms of listeriosis to develop.
Symptoms of Listeria infection may include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle pain, severe headache, and neck stiffness. Specific laboratory tests are needed to diagnose Listeria infections, which can mimic other illnesses.
Pregnant women, the elderly, young children, and people such as cancer patients with weakened immune systems are at particular risk of serious illness, life-threatening infections, other complications, and death. Even if infected pregnant women experience only mild flu-like symptoms, their infections can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn, or even stillbirth.
