SEVERAL SHREDDED AND GRATED CHEESE RECALLS

I am seriously thinking of adding all cheese to the list of "foods pregnant women should not eat" - the most popular blog on this site. That bacterium which is so dangerous for them - Listeria monocytogenes - is all over the place. And it is no longer just in unpasteurized raw cheeses either. In the last few years we have had quite a few in pasteurized cheeses as well.

And here are some more recalls. Mind you, these recalls are not just about cheese. The cheeses involved have all been grated or shredded, therefore adding to the risks. The contamination did not occur at the cheese producer level, but during the shredding or grating process.

Alpine Slicing and Cheese Conversion Company, located in Wisconsin, U.S.A., is recalling “HEB Queso Cotija (Grated)”, “El Viajero Queso Quesadilla (Shredded)”, “El Viajero Queso Cotija (Grated)”, and “BMF Queso Quesadilla (Shredded)” because testing has turned up Listeria monocytogenes in the "shred line" - presumably referring to the equipment used for shredding the cheese.

And here's another: Bekkum Family Farms LLC of Westby, WI, is recalling their shredded cheese with the odd name of "Grumpy Goat Shreds" which they sell under the Nordic Creamery brand name, in eight-ounce bags with a code date of 10-MAR-12. They got their cheese from Alpine Slicing (So much for the idea of it coming from their "farm") and sold it in stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota and California beginning Nov. 11.

And, some grated Kosher cheeses have been recalled too. The World Cheese Company, producer of Haolam and Miller's kosher cheese products, has issued a recall of some of their shredded cheeses that were also packaged (and shredded?) at the same Wisconsin plant (is that really Kosher?). The recalled cheeses are All 8-ounce and 16-ounce bags of Miller’s shredded cheese (pizza, mozzarella, cheddar, fancy, muenster), with an expiration of June 5, 2012 through Sept. 4, 2012; all 32-ounce bags of Miller’s shredded mozzarella with an expiration date of Feb. 6, 2012 through May 7, 2012; all 5-pound bags of Miller’s shredded mozzarella, cheddar, muenster and Monterey Jack with a package date of Sept. 8, 2011 through Dec. 7, 2011.

Shred or grate your own cheese. Frankly, I hate doing it, but unless you are a total slob, it is likely to be safer.

To your good health,
TSF

The Imported Canadian Cheese Recall Spreads in the U.S.

Now we have an expanding cheese recall in Massachussetts, U.S.A. It is linked to the earlier Cedar Market (located in Norwood, MA)recall. This market imported Canadian cheese and on-sold it to Bahnan’s located in Worcester, MA. Since this cheese has turned out to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, Bahnan's is also having to issue a recall. As a result a much wider range of cheese products with the brand name "Fromagerie Marie Kade” are being considered dangerous and should not be eaten. All have the establishment number 1874, but different "best by" dates.

Akawi Cheese Best Before 08 MAR 2012
Baladi Cheese Best Before 08 FEB 2012.
Shinglish Cheese Best Before 07 NOV 2012
Tresse Cheese Best Before 10 NOV 2012
Vachekaval Cheese Best Before 10 MAR 2012
Halloom Best Before 01 MAY 2012
Moujadale Best Before 04 MAY 2012

Our food certainly travels around these days. And so do the contaminants.

Stay tuned..

To your good health,

TSF

ANOTHER "CEDAR" CHEESE RECALL

Green Cedar Dairy of Dearborn, Michigan, has now announced the recall of their All Natural Ackawi Cheese and All Natural Chives Cheese with a sell by date up to July 1, 2012. The reason: they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria and at least two illnesses have been linked to eating these cheeses.

The products were distributed to bakeries and retail stores in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties of Michigan. In other words, a relatively small geographic area.

What puzzles me is that both this cheese and the Canadian cheese recall I blogged yesterday (see previous post) do not only have Listeriosis risk in common - which is nothing unusual - but also something else. They both have "cedar" in the name and a green cedar tree on the label. The trees look somewhat different (the Canadian cheese package has a more artistic cedar tree) but there they are. What an odd coincidence.

Ah - the mysteries of our food supply.

To your good health,

TSF

FORGET THE CONTAMINATED CHEESE GIFT BOX!

I just finished ordering several gift boxes to be sent to people for the holidays. I did look at ones that had pears, cheese, crackers and foods like that, but in the end, decided to send chocolates to everyone. Just as well. I could have been sending a case of Listeriosis to my friends, my doctor and to my agent.

One of the latest instances of widespread food contamination in the United States involves a variety of cheeses. Fair Oaks Dairy Products, LLC, Fair Oaks, Indiana today issued a voluntary recall of quite a range of one half pound retail packaged cheeses and cheese gift boxes produced under the Fair Oaks Farms Fine Cheese label. The cheeses were sold at the Fair Oaks Dairy store in Northwest Indiana, to other stores directly, and through distributors primarily in Northern and Central Indiana and Northeast Illinois. Who knows where they went from there.

Here's the list of cheese types: Asiago, Butterkase, Gouda, Aged Gouda, Smoked Gouda, Havarti, Pepper Havarti, Habanero Havarti, Onion Havarti, Veggie Havarti, Havarti Dill, Sweet Swiss, Smoked Sweet Swiss, Emmentaler, Calico, Mozzarella, Farmers, Cheese Curds, Muenster, Provolone, Lacy Swiss, Cheddar, Cheddar Mild, 1 yr. Cheddar, 2 yr. Cheddar, 3 yr. Cheddar, 4 yr. Cheddar, and 5 yr. Cheddar. Each variety is identified on the label. There are no identifying dates or UPCs on the packages.

The photo shows the kind of packaging used, but remember, it varies with the type cheese. And check any gift boxes of food you receive.

If you go to Fair Oaks Dairy website to do an on-line order, you will find this sad message:

Due to issues beyond our control,
we will suspend all online sales
including gift boxes until after Jan. 1, 2012.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused to our valued customers.


To your good health,
TSF

STILTON CHEESE RECALLS IN CANADA AS WELL AS IN U.S.

In the previous post, I talked about the two most recent cheese recalls in the U.S. One of them was for Royal Blue Stilton Cheese, imported from England. And I also mentioned another U.S. importer's recall for the same Stilton cheese which I had blogged in May. Of course, these are not the only recalls of Stilton cheese to occur in the U.S. (for instance, Kroger's had a couple of Stilton recalls in December, 2008 and there have been others).

But Stilton recalls are not only hitting the U.S. They are also occurring in Canada - for the same bacteria - Listeria monocytogenes. Like the U.S. cheeses, they were also imported from England. A globalized food supply also means we suffer the same food safety risks.

In early May, about the time of the earlier U.S. Stilton recall for Royal Blue Stilton, there was a recall by a Canadian importer called Tree of Life based in Surrey, BC. The cheese was "King James" brand Blue Stilton Cheese (yet another royal sounding name). The recall was expanded in early June to include additional sizes and lot codes of the affected cheese. The cheese was sold in B.C., Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland, but authorities suspect that it may actually have been distributed nationally. In fact, it could also have been sold at deli counters much earlier - between April 14 and May 19. I am trying to find out if it came from the same British dairy.

The British are very proud of their Stilton cheese and they have been producing it at least since the 18th Century. In fact, Stilton is sometimes called "The King of Cheeses." If you want to know how it is made, go to www.stiltoncheese.com. According to this website (I have edited a bit), to be called Stilton, a cheese must be:

• made in one of three counties - Derbyshire, Leicestershire or Nottinghamshire, in England
• produced in one of the only six dairies specially licensed to make Stilton
• made from local pasteurized milk
• a traditional cylindrical shape.
• allowed to form its own crust or coat.
• be un-pressed.
• delicate blue veins radiating from the center.
• have a taste typical of Stilton.

What is happening to this "King of Cheeses?" And where will the next recall crop up? Are they also being exported to the EU countries? After that nasty E.coli outbreak linked to sprouts, all they need is contaminated cheese!

To your good health,

TSF