Whole Foods Recalls Cheese that Hospitalized 5, Killed 1

By Jessica Sinichak and Sonia Su

Bought cheese from the Whole Foods Market in Baltimore lately? You may want to check the label before consuming.

The supermarket chain is recalling Crave Brothers Les Frères cheese, in response to a recall by the Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese Company of Waterloo, WI, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The recall is due to potential contamination 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.

To date, one illness and one death have been reported in the U.S. All five people with the illness—from Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Minnesota (2) and Ohio (1)—were hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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.

Signage is posted in Whole Foods Market 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.

Crave Brothers was informed by regulatory agencies of an ongoing investigation related to potential health risks associated with Listeria monocytogenes, according to the FDA. 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.

The PLU code for the Crave Brothers cheese sold in Pennsylvania is 294473.

Questions about this can be directed to 512-477-5566 ext. 20060, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Consumers with questions about Crave Brothers cheese may contact the company directly: Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese Company at 920-478-4887, Mondayto Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Whole Foods locations in Baltimore include Mt. Washington and Harbor East.