Earlier this year, one of the longest-running food companies in the Southern U.S., Blue Bell Creameries, was imbued in a scandal after they had to massively recall all of their products after people got sick with Listeria monocytogenes from consuming their ice cream - now, Whole Foods cheese gets recalled for the same reason.
The Austin-based organic supermarket chain has raised concerns of a new epidemic of listeriosis after recalling their Whole Foods cheese, particularly the brand of Papillon Organic Roquefort, after random tests showed that there are severe dangers of the product being contaminated with the potentially deadly bacteria.
According to The Huffington Post, while there have been no illnesses (let alone deaths) involving the contaminated product, the situation is particularly worrying considering that this Whole Foods cheese is currently sold nationwide.
The Food and Drug Administration discovered the contamination earlier this week, after the government agency found traces of the listeria bacteria in uncut wheels of the Whole Foods cheese (the company sells their Roquefort by cutting these wheels and then packaging them in individual clear plastic) during a routine inspection of the chain's products.
As Newsweek reports, the possibly contaminated Whole Foods cheese can be identified through its scale label, which has a code beginning in PLU 029536, and it's the only product in their store that's currently posing any risks for consumers.
Whole Foods is voluntarily going through the recall to prevent any future damages, only months after a major scare with the same bacteria after not only Blue Bell but other companies such as Jeni's Splendid and Sabra recalled a few of their products in the midst of the outbreak.
According to Yahoo! News, those consumers who have purchased the potentially contaminated Whole Foods cheese can bring their receipt to the store for a full refund, while available numbers to call in case of questions are 512-477-5566 ext. 20060 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST.
