Maytag Dairy Farms, maker of Maytag blue cheese, temporarily closed its plants after a massive recall of its products because of possible listeria contamination.
After the state Dairy Products Control Bureau discovered the contamination during routine testing, the Newton-based company voluntarily began pulling its product from restaurants and store shelves February 13, said Dustin Vande Hoef, communications director for the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
Approximately 896 pounds of cheese – already distributed to restaurants and stores in central Iowa and sold direct to customers from Maytag Dairy Farms – was recalled; the recall was then expanded to include additional products that were sold both in Iowa as well as other states.
Hy-Vee, Whole Foods, Fareway and The Cheese Shop have all pulled Maytag cheeses from store shelves.
To date, no illnesses have been reported in connection with the blue cheese.
Hy-Vee voluntarily recalled Maytag Raw Milk Blue Cheese sold in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Hy-Vee said the cheese was sold in whole wheels and cuts and repackaged in foil or clear plastic wrap. Also, blue cheese crumbles were sold in plastic containers. All product was labeled as ‘Maytag Blue Raw Milk,’ ‘Maytag Blue’ or ‘Maytag Iowa Blue Cheese’ and with PLU numbers beginning with 854089001 and with ‘use by’ dates between Jan. 20, 2016, and May 3, 2016.
Customers should discard the cheese or return it to the point of purchase for a refund.
Fareway, which also sells Maytag blue cheese products, did not have any of the potentially contaminated products, but it decided to pull all Maytag cheese as a precaution, said Steve Kieffer, director of risk management. The company was waiting for notification that the cheese is safe and not contaminated with Listeria before returning it to the stores.
Owner C.J. Bienert said The Cheese Shop destroyed all of its Maytag cheeses after the initial recall was extended. “It’s really too bad, but there is a good system in place to catch things like this,” Bienert said.
In addition to selling chunks of the cheese, Maytag blue cheese was used in some of the prepared foods the shop serves, he said.
Neither Vande Hoef nor Maytag Dairy Farms indicated how long the plant would be closed due to Listeria concerns.
Maytag Dairy Farms has been producing its well-known blue cheese since 1941. The company said the recalled product was sold through distributors, wholesalers, retail stores, restaurants and direct mail orders nationwide from Nov. 24, 2015, to Feb. 11, 2016.
