The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) has linked a case of listeriosis (illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes bacteria) to Los Corrales Queso Fresco Fresh Cheese and Banana Leaf produced by El Ranchero del Sur, LLC of South River, NJ. Listeriosis victims and their families can contact our Listeria lawyers for a free consultation.
On March 2, 2012, a 38-week pregnant woman was diagnosed with Listeria monocytogenes infection at a New Brunswick hospital. Subsequent investigation by the Middlesex County Health Department and product analysis by NJDHSS Public Health Environmental and Agricultural Laboratories confirmed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in a sample of Los Corrales Queso Fresco Fresh Cheese and Banana Leaf code dated 03/16/12.
Listeriosis is particularly dangerous for unborn children, who can contract the illness from their mothers through the placenta. Listeriosis in pregnant women can cause miscarriage, stillbirth and serious illness in newly born babies. In addition, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems who contract listeriosis can die or contract permanent brain damage from listeriosis meningitis.
FDSP, with assistance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has obtained a voluntary closure by the firm’s owner while the products and facility are investigated for the presence of L. monocytogenes. All products and ingredients at the facility have been placed under embargo pending the outcome of laboratory testing for Listeria monocytogenes.
El Ranchero del Sur, LLC has pledged to conduct a voluntary recall through the FDA and is contacting its customers to arrange for the retrieval of all of their cheese products. El Ranchero del Sur cheese products can be found primarily in Mexican and Latin American grocery stores, restaurants, and other hispanic food establishments under the name brands El Ranchero, Los Corrales, and Carnes Don Beto with the plant number 34-0013669 marked on the label. All products are 14 ounces in weight except for the Queso Hebra Oaxaca String Cheese ball in 10 pound packages.