Acting “out of an abundance of caution,” Grassfields Cheese LLC voluntarily recalled 20,000 pounds of organic cheese afternoon. The company initiated the recall after testing by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development revealed the presence of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in a sample of the company’s cheese. Although the Grassfields Cheese press release opts not to specify the strain of STEC detected, serotypes of STEC generally exhibit more virulent characteristics than their non-Shiga toxin-producing counterparts.
Recall Affects All Organic Cheeses Produced by Company During Six Month Stretch
The far-reaching recall involves all types of organic cheese produced by the company from December 1, 2015 through June 1, 2016. These organic cheeses include Gouda, Onion n’ Garlic, country Dill, Leyden, Edam, Lamont Cheddar, Chili Cheese, Fait Fras, Polkton Corners and Crofters.
The company distributed the recalled cheeses nationwide, through sales to wholesale and retail customers, at the company’s store located at 14238 60th Ave., Coopersville, Michigan 49404, and to consumers online at the company website. Grassfields Cheese sold its products as full wheels, half wheels, and a variety of wedge sizes.
Organic Cheese Implicated in Ongoing E. coli Outbreak?
Public health officials did not discover the fact that Grassfields Cheese’s organic cheese products might contain STEC bacteria by accident. Rather, public health officials actively investigating seven cases of the same type of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli in humans that occurred between March and July of this year identified the company as a potential source or, at the very least, one worth looking into further. When tests conducted at Geagley Laboratory confirmed the presence of STEC bacteria, public health officials’ suspicions were validated.
