Listeria Food Poisoning Outbreak Linked to Queso Fresco Cheese

 Posted on March 19, 2021 in Listeria

There are a wide variety of pathogens that can lead to food poisoning. While most people are aware of the dangers of salmonella or E. coli, they may not know about listeria. Food poisoning cases involving this bacteria are less common, but they are often more serious, and an infection can result in severe illness or death. Recently, a significant number of listeria infections were linked to several different cheese products sold by the company El Abuelito, Inc.

Contaminated Cheese Products

Beginning in October of 2020 and continuing through March of 2021, multiple cases of listeria infections were reported across four states by people who had eaten Hispanic-style cheese products. As a result, El Abuelito, Inc. has recalled a number of products, including queso fresco cheeses with sell-by dates through March 28, 2021, quesillo and Oaxaca cheeses with sell-by dates through April 16, 2021, and requeson (ricotta) cheeses with sell-by dates through March 14, 2021. The recalled brands included:

• El Abuelito
• El Viejito
• El Sabrosito
• El Paisano
• Rio Lindo
• Rio Grande
• La Cima
• San Carlos
• Quesos Finos
• Ideal

In some cases, these products may have been repackaged at stores and sold without brand labels or under different brand names. Customers who purchased cheeses that may have been subject to a recall have been advised to throw them away or return them to the store.

Symptoms and Effects of Listeriosis

Symptoms of a listeria infection, which is known as listeriosis, can begin to affect a person within a few days after eating contaminated foods, but they may not become known for 30 days or more. These symptoms may include fever, nausea, diarrhea, and aches in the muscles, and if the infection spreads to the nervous system, a person may experience headaches, neck stiffness, loss of balance and coordination, confusion, or convulsions. People over the age of 65 or those who have weakened immune systems are more susceptible to listeria infections.

Listeriosis is especially dangerous for pregnant mothers, who are 18 times more likely to contract an infection than other healthy adults. Listeriosis can increase the risk of preterm labor, miscarriage, and stillbirth. If an infection is passed from the mother to the child, a newborn may experience blood infections, respiratory distress, pneumonia, or meningitis affecting the brain and central nervous system. The mortality rate for newborns with listeriosis is 20-30%.

Contact Our Illinois Listeria Infection Lawyers

If you have contracted a listeria infection after eating contaminated cheese products or any other items, the attorneys of Newland & Newland, LLP can help you take legal action to recover compensation. We will work with you to hold a negligent product manufacturer responsible for the harm done to you and your family, and we will fight to make sure you will have the financial resources you need to make a full recovery. Contact our Illinois food poisoning attorneys at 312-981-0409 to schedule a complimentary consultation.

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/hispanic-soft-cheese-02-21/index.html

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/listeria-infection/symptoms-causes/syc-20355269

https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/get-facts-about-listeria