Cheese Recall Expands to 57 Products: Full List

A list of product recalls related to a contaminated cheese product has expanded amid concerns over listeria.

There are now at least 57 products listed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as being recalled due to potential contamination by Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that is potentially harmful to people. The latest recall was issued on February 12 by Fresh Creations Foods for its Chicken Street Taco Meal Kit Units sold at Sprouts.

Newsweek has attempted to contact representatives for Sprouts and Fresh Creations for comment via email out of normal working hours.

The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are currently investigating the extent of a listeria outbreak linked to queso fresco and cotija cheeses manufactured by Rizo-López Foods. According to CDC data, 26 people have been infected with a listeria strain across 11 states.

The CDC also warned that the "true number of sick people" affected by the outbreak is "likely higher than the number reported" because some people could have recovered without needing medical care or testing positive for listeria.

Consumers wary of the latest recall regarding Chicken Street Taco Meal Kit Units should note that the product was sold in Sprouts stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee.

The products have the UPC code 205916414990 and a best-by date between November 29 last year and March 4, 2024. Customers are urged not to consume the products and to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Variations of the Chicken Street Taco Kit were recalled from February 7 by The Save Mart Companies, Stater Bros. Markets, Albertsons Companies and Fresh Creative Foods.

In all, at least 57 products have been recalled. They are:

• Sprouts Farmers Market Chicken Street Taco Meal Kit - recalled February 12
• The Perfect Bite Co. Mexican Style Street Corn Bites - recalled February 10
• Chicken Street Taco Kits sold in Save Mart, Lucky, and Lucky California stores - recalled February 9
• Stater Bros. Markets Chicken Street Taco Kit, 20 oz - recalled February 9
• Fresh & Ready Ham Torta Sandwich - recalled February 9
• Fresh & Ready Chicken Torta Sandwich - recalled February 9
• Sprig & Sprout Ham Torta Sandwich on Telera Roll - recalled February 9
• Jack & Olive Ham Torta Sandwich on Telera Roll - recalled February 9
• Marketside Chopped Salad Kit Bacon Ranch Crunch - recalled from February 8
• Fresh Express - Marketside Southwest Chopped Salad Kit - recalled February 8
• Fresh Express - Fresh Express Salsa! Ensalada Salad Kit - recalled February 8
• Ready Meals Chicken Street Tacos sold at Albertsons, Safeway, Eagle, Carrs-Safeway, Pavilions, Vons, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Shaw's, Star Market - recalled February 8
• Ready Meals Chicken Street Tacos Meal sold at Albertsons, Safeway, Lucky, Shaw's, Star Market, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Vons - recalled February 8
• Chicken Mini Street Taco Meal Kit sold at Albertsons, Safeway, Eagle, Carrs-Safeway - recalled February 8
• Chicken Asada Street Taco Meal sold at Albertsons, Safeway, Eagle, Carrs-Safeway, Pavilions, Vons - recalled February 8
• Ready Meals Asada Street Taco Meal sold at Shaw's, Star Market, Albertsons, Vons, Safeway, Pavilions - recalled February 8
• Dole Chopped Kit Avocado Ranch - recalled February 8
• Dole Chop Kit Avocado Ranch Chop Kit Ranch A L'Avocat - recalled February 8
• Dole Premium Kit Southwest Salad - recalled February 8
• Dole Cajun Ranch Chopped Kit - recalled February 8
• Dole Premium Kit Endless Summer - recalled February 8
• Dole Supreme Kit Southwest Salad (Supreme Kit Salade Du Sud-Ouest) - recalled February 8
• President's Choice Southwest Salad Kit (Sud-Ouest Kit de Salade) - recalled February 8
• Bright Farms Southwest Chipotle Crunch Kit - recalled February 8
• Ready Pac Bistro Fresh Mex Chopped Kit - recalled February 7
• Ready Pac Bistro Queso Crunch Salad Kit - recalled February 7
• Trader Joe's Chicken Enchiladas Verde - recalled February 7
• Trader Joe's Cilantro Salad Dressing - recalled February 7
• Trader Joe's Elote Chopped Salad Kit - recalled February 7
• Trader Joe's Southwest Salad - recalled February 7
• Rojos Black Bean 6 Layer Dip - recalled February 7
• Don Pancho Cilantro Lime Crema - recalled February 7
• Don Pancho Everything Sauce Fiesta - recalled February 7
• H.E.B. Cilantro Cotija dressing - recalled February 7
• H.E.B. Poblano Caesar dressing - recalled February 7
• Trader Joe's Cilantro Dressing - recalled February 7
• Don Pancho Street Taco Express Meal Kit - recalled February 7

On February 5, Rizo-López confirmed the recall of a range of products including cheese, yogurt and sour cream. The products were sold under the brand names Tio Francisco, Don Francisco, Rizo Bros, Rio Grande, Food City, El Huache, La Ordena, San Carlos, Campesino, Santa Maria, Dos Ranchitos, Casa Cardenas and 365 Whole Foods Market.

Those products include:

• Tio Francisco Queso Para Freir Frying Cheese - recalled February 5
• Tio Francisco Queso Oaxaca Melting String Cheese - recalled February 5
• Tio Francisco Requeson Ricotta Style Cheese - recalled February 5
• Tio Francisco Queso Fresco Fresh Crumbling Cheese - recalled February 5
• Tio Francisco Crema Centroamericana - recalled February 5
• Tio Francisco Crema Mexicana - recalled February 5
• Tio Francisco Blanco Suave Fresh Snacking Cheese - recalled February 5
• Tio Francisco Panela Fresh Basket Cheese - recalled February 5
• Tio Francisco Cotija Aged Mexican Cheese - recalled February 5
• Rancho Santa Maria Crema - recalled February 5
• 365 Whole Foods Market Part Skim Ricotta Cheese - recalled February 5
• 365 Whole Foods Market Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese - recalled February 5
• Cardenas Queso Cotija - recalled February 5
• Rizo Bros Oaxaca Mexican Melting String Cheese - recalled February 5
• Rizo Bros Cotija Aged Mexican Grating Cheese - recalled February 5
• Rizo Bros Cotija Aged Mexican Grated Cheese - recalled February 5
• Food City Cotija Whole Milk Cheese - recalled February 5
• Food City Cotija Enchilado Whole Milk Cheese - recalled February 5
• Casa Cardenas Cotija Polvo Grated - recalled February 5
• Fresco Fresh Mexican Crumbling Cheese - recalled February 5

On January 11, Rizo-López recalled 344 cases of its "Aged Cotija Mexican Grating Cheese" products because of listeria concerns. No confirmed illnesses related specifically to this product were reported.

Newsweek has approached Rizo-López for further comment and to confirm if the Aged Cotija Mexican Grating Cheese listed in the January 11 and used in a picture for the recall on February 5 is the same product.

This story will be updated if any new response is received.

Recalls in the food industry aren't uncommon. They are issued when a product may be harmful to a person in some way. This can be due to the wrong ingredients being listed as a product or if consumers are not made aware of potential allergens.

In more extreme cases, companies will identify harmful bacteria such as salmonella, which can cause food poisoning and, in more serious cases, hospitalization or even death.

Recent Listeria Outbreaks

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said listeria outbreaks were previously investigated in 2017 and 2021, but "there was not enough information to identify a specific brand."

Eight people reported sick in California, four in each in Arizona and Colorado, and a further two each in Texas and Tennessee.

One person each from North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Nevada, Oregon and Washington was affected during a timeline ranging from June 15, 2014, to December 10, 2023. Two deaths were reported, in California and Texas.

Investigators have focused on Rizo-López as listeria was found in a cheese sample in January this year after people had reported becoming ill the month before.

"Epidemiology and recent laboratory data show that queso fresco and cotija made by Rizo-López Foods are making people in this outbreak sick," the CDC said, adding that listeria was traced to a container where "cheeses are kept before they are packaged."

After numerous recalls, Rizo-Lopez Foods CEO Edwin Rizo told Newsweek on February 7: "As soon as we were aware of this, we made the immediate decision to stop production and voluntarily recall all our products manufactured in our facility.

"We are working hard and diligently to find the root cause of the problem and take corrective actions to prevent it from happening again. The health and well-being of our customers is our top priority. We have always aimed to provide the highest quality products and are committed to doing the right thing to protect the health of our consumers."