Swiss American Recalls Products Associated with Brie and Camembert Listeria Outbreak
Swiss American has issued a recall on some of their Brie cheese products in relation to the Listeria outbreak suspected to be caused by Old Europe Cheese, Inc. products. After the Benton Harbor, Michigan, based company and manufacturer Old Europe Cheese, Inc. notified Swiss American of the potentially adulterated products, Swiss American issued a voluntary recall for their St. Louis Brie products.
The following products, including all best by dates through December 14, 2022, have been recalled:
St Louis Domestic Brie Wedge 7 oz (UPC: 041563 263709)
St Louis Domestic Cut Brie Wedge-6 lb RW with variable weight (UPC: 041563 370018)
St Louis Brie with variable weight (UPC: 21107100000)
ST LOUIS BRIE PRE CUT WEDGES 16.00 OZ (UPC: 00021565000000)
ST LOUIS CW BRIE WHEEL 16.00 OZ (UPC: 00021171800000)
There have been 6 total illnesses and 5 total hospitalizations confirmed in the combined states of California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, and Texas. Old Europe Cheese, Inc., instituted the massive recall after a full environmental audit of 120 samples from the company’s products and facilities produced evidence of Listeria contamination. Although the Listeria contamination was not found in any the tested products, samples taken at one of the production facilities tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The strain of Listeria bacteria was then matched to an outbreak of 6 listeriosis infections, with infections dating as recently as 2022 and as far back as 2017.
Although everyone is susceptible to Listeria infections, pregnant women and their newborns, those 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely than other populations to develop listeriosis, the infection caused by ingesting Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. In particular, pregnant women are highly susceptible to a Listeria infection and are 10 times more likely than others to develop listeriosis; the infection can then be passed to their unborn child, which can lead to miscarriages, stillbirths, and preterm labor, as well as serious illness and potential death in infants.
According to the CDC, Listeria can cause both intestinal illness and invasive illness, which is when the infection spreads beyond the intestines. Symptoms of intestinal illness caused by Listeria generally begin 24 hours after ingesting food with Listeria bacteria and last 1-3 days, with symptoms including diarrhea and vomiting. In people who are not pregnant, invasive listeriosis infection symptoms include fever, headache, stiff neck, loss of balance, confusion, seizures, and flu-like symptoms such as muscle aches and fatigue. In pregnant people, symptoms are usually mild and include fever and flu-like symptoms, though some pregnant people report no symptoms.
