A Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to recalled Vulto Creamery washed-wind raw milk cheeses has sickened six people in four states and killed two of them. Those sickened live in Connecticut, Florida, New York, and Vermont. The patients who died lived in Connecticut and Vermont.
In response to this outbreak, Vulto Creamery recalled certain lots of its cheese products, some of which had been distributed to Whole Foods Market. “Out of an abundance of caution” Whole Foods voluntarily recalled cheese products from nine stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine and New York. The company’s recall notice states: “no illnesses have been reported to date.”
Whole Foods Market Recall of Ouleout and Miranda Cheese
The Whole Foods recall involves the following cheese products:
Vulto Creamery Ouleout and Miranda soft wash-rind raw milk cheeses which were cut and packaged in clear plastic wrap with scale labels beginning with PLU codes 0200305 and 0200306 and “sell by” dates from 12/27/2016 to 03/28/2017.
Ouleout products were sold at the following Whole Foods Market stores:
- 350 Grasmere Avenue, Fairfield, CT
- 115 Prospect Street, Cambridge, MA
Miranda products were sold at the following Whole Foods Market stores:
- 170 Great Road, Bedford, MA
- 575 Worcester Road, Framingham, MA
- 647 Washington Street, Newton, MA
- 2 Somerset Street, Portland, ME
- 1425 Central Avenue, Albany, NY
- 250 7th Ave, New York, NY
- 270 Greenwich Street, New York, NY
Vulto Creamery recalled Ouleout cheeses on March 7, 2017, and also recalled Miranda, Heinennellie, and Willowemoc varieties. Their recall notice stated that the cheeses were sold nationwide, but were mostly in the northeastern United States and the Mid-Atlantic states, California, and a few large cities. We are hopeful that the FDA will release a retail distribution list and we will discover more stores that sold these recalled cheeses.
Outbreak Strain of Listeria Bacteria Found in Vulto Creameries Ouleout Cheese
Officials at two state public health laboratories found the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes bacteria in Vulto’s Ouleout cheese. The New York Department of Agriculture and Markets confirmed that samples of Ouleout cheese taken from the dairy during a joint FDA inspection matched the genetic fingerprint of Listeria monocytogenes in this outbreak.
In addition, an open sample of Ouleout cheese was collected from a patient’s home in Connecticut. It was tested by the Connecticut Department of Public Health and found to contain Listeria bacteria that matched the outbreak strain.
Listeria monocytogenes bacteria can cause serious illness, long-term health complications, and death. Listeriosis can cause meningitis, sepsis, encephalitis, and pneumonia.
The symptoms of this infection include severe headache, high fever, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Pregnant women may have no symptoms or symptoms similar to the flu, but they can suffer miscarriage and stillbirth, and her baby can be born with listeriosis.
One of the issues with this illness is that it can take weeks to appear after the person has ingested the bacteria. Since listeriosis is a reportable condition, doctors must tell public health officials when a patient is diagnosed. Patient samples are sent to PulseNet, a lab that is part of the CDC, and the bacterial DNA is identified. When an outbreak is uncovered, patients who are part of that outbreak can be identified when their samples match the bacterial outbreak strain.
Lawsuit for Listeriosis Compensation
Patients who are part of this outbreak, or their families, can file a lawsuit seeking compensation if their case can be matched to the recalled product. They can sue the retailer that sold the contaminated cheese and the dairy, since those entities must, under the law, not sell products that are contaminated with pathogenic bacteria.
Our law firm is investigating this outbreak and is trying to discover exactly where these contaminated cheeses were sold. Pritzker Hageman attorneys are experienced Listeria lawyers and have won cases for many clients diagnosed with listeriosis. We have many years of experience suing on behalf of listeriosis patients and their families.
Before you decide to file a lawsuit, it’s important that you discuss your case with a lawyer who has experience winning cases like yours. Contact us by calling 1-888-377-8900, or fill out our free online consultation form. Someone from our firm will be in contact with you soon.
