Once again. Another mass produced food is being recalled because of potential contamination. This is urgent, and if you have this cheese you need to throw it away as soon as possible. It can kill you.
Cheese is one of the most universal foods because you can use it in basically everything. It’s probably America’s favorite food, not that it’s a good thing though. In fact, one of the most popular cheese brands has recalled massive amounts of cheese due to a potential contamination of Listeria Monocytogenes, a serious infection contracted by bacteria in food. Sargento Cheese says there have been no reported deaths yet. We can probably expect some though, because listeriosis is seriously dangerous.
An estimated 1,600 people are infected by listeria every year, and about 260 die from it. The infection is particularly dangerous to pregnant women, adults ages 65 and older, and people with lowered immune function. It can cause a variety of symptoms depending on the person affected. Listeria can cause diarrhea and fever, similar to other food borne germs, but listeria is rarely diagnosed. The symptoms are invasive and include:
- Pregnant women: Pregnant women typically experience only fever and other flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue and muscle aches. However, infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.
- People other than pregnant women: Symptoms can include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions in addition to fever and muscle aches.
Sargento is continuing to monitor and gather information from their supplier that is based in Middlebury, Ind. The supplier reportedly notified Sargento Food Inc. that a specialty longhorn colby jack cheese that it supplied had been potentially contaminated and needed to be immediately recalled.
The company continues to respond to their consumers and provide reimbursements. If you purchased their products you can call 1-800-Cheeses or email them via the company’s contact page on their website.
THE RECALLED PRODUCTS INCLUDE:
- Sargento Ultra Thin Slice Longhorn Colby
- Sargento Chef Blends Shredded Nacho & Taco Cheese
- Sargento Slice Colby-Jack Cheese
- Sargento Slice Pepper Jack Cheese
- Sargento Chef Blends Shredded Taco Cheese
- Sargento Off The Block Shredded Fine Cut Colby-Jack Cheese
- Sargento Off the Block Shredded Fine Cut Cheddar Jack Cheese
No other Sargento branded products were affected by this recall.