Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese Recall: Listeria Contamination

A recall has been issued for various cheese products from Kenny’s Farmhouse, after random sample testing confirmed listeria contamination, which could cause a form of food poisoning associated with fatal gastrointestinal infections. 

The cheese recall was announced by the FDA November 5, after traces of listeria monocytogenes were found in some samples. However, there have been no reports of listeriosis food poisoning associated with recalled cheese.

The recall affects the following cheese products distributed by Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese:

• Colby, Colby Cheese, 8oz, 5 lb, 10 lb, or 25 lb block, vacuum packed, Lot # 120724
• Chipotle Colby, Flavored Colby Cheese, 8 oz, 5 lb, 10 lb, or 25 lb block, vacuum packed, Lot #120711
• Monterey Jack, Jack Cheese, 8 oz, 5 lb, 10 lb, or 25 lb block, vacuum packed, Lot # 120719
• Mild Cheddar, Cheddar Cheese, 8 oz, 5 lb, 10 lb, or 25 lb block, vacuum packed Lot # 120625

The cheese products have been sold and distributed since September 20, 2012 to various restaurants, farmer’s markets and distributors in Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Although not as common as E.coli or salmonella, listeria food poisoning outbreaks tend to cause more adverse health consequences, resulting in death in about one-in-four diagnosed cases.

In most cases listeria symptoms consist of muscle ache, nausea, diarrhea, and fever. The infection becomes more severe in vulnerable carriers such as pregnant women, AIDS patients, children, and the elderly because of weakened immune systems.

A cantaloupe listeria outbreak in 2011 killed at least 25 people in what was the most deadly food poisoning since 1985, when a listeria outbreak linked to soft cheese killed 48 people in California.

Consumers who have purchased the affected cheese should quarantine it immediately and contact Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese to arrange for a full refund by calling (888) 571-4029 or (270) 434-4124 or by sending an email to udderway@yahoo.com.