California shoppers may want to check their refrigerators after a statewide recall was issued for a Hanford Jack cheese product contaminated with listeria.
Anyone who recently purchased Hanford Jack Cabernet Jack cheese should compare the package details with the recall notice and discard it if it matches the affected batch.
What happened?
State officials said a statewide recall was triggered after listeria monocytogenes was confirmed in Hanford Jack Cabernet Jack Cheese made and packaged by Fagundes Old World Cheese in Kings County.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture said the recall covers clear plastic-wrapped wedges of "Fagundes Old World Cheese Hanford Jack Cabernet Jack Cheese" weighing roughly half a pound to one pound.
Consumers can identify the recalled cheese by lot code 031226, a "Packed On" date of 05.06.26, and a "Sell By" date of 05.05.27.
CDFA said the contamination was found through a routine sample collected at the company's manufacturing and packaging facility.
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Officials said no illnesses had been reported when the recall was announced. They also told consumers to throw away any remaining cheese and instructed retailers to remove the product from sale immediately.
Why does it matter?
The greatest danger from listeria is to young children, older adults, pregnant people, and anyone with a weakened immune system, because the infection can be severe in those groups.
CDFA said even healthy people can experience symptoms such as fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, stomach pain, and diarrhea.
In pregnant women, listeria infection can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths.
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What can I do?
Do not eat the cheese if the package shows lot code 031226, a packed-on date of 05.06.26, and a sell-by date of 05.05.27. If those details match, throw it away.
Retailers have been instructed to pull the product from sale, but that does not help if a wedge is already sitting in a home refrigerator.
Consumers should check any recently purchased specialty cheese, especially if it was repackaged in clear plastic.
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