Updated April 19, 2023 with information about a warning letter A Listeria outbreak linked to brie and camembert cheeses made by Old Europe Cheese and sold under a variety of brand names has ended after sickening six people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Genetic tests showed that a Listeria strain that sickened six people between August 2017 and August 2022 closely resembled a strain found in the Benton Harbor, MI manufacturing facility of Old Europe Cheese Inc.
Did you develop listeriosis from contaminated cheese?
On September 30, the company issued a Listeria recall for cheeses with “best by” dates from September 28, 2022, to December 14, 2022, sold under the following brand names:
- Black Bear
- Block & Barrel
- Charmant
- Cobblestone
- Culinary Tour
- Fredericks
- Fresh Thyme
- Glenview Farms
- Good & Gather
- Heinen’s
- Joan of Arc
- La Bonne Vie
- Lidl
- Life in Provence
- Market 32
- Matrie’d
- Metropolitan
- Prestige
- Primo Taglio
- Red Apple Cheese
- Reny Picot
- St. Randeaux
- St. Rocco
- Taste of Inspiration
- Trader Joe
On October 5, Old Europe expanded the recall to include baked brie products sold under some of the same brand names. Consumers who have recently purchased brie or camembert cheese should check recall information carefully as Listeria can cause serious illness and death. Among pregnant women, Listeria infections can cause miscarriage and stillbirth.
Listeria Illnesses linked to Brie and Camembert Cheeses
The six people sickened in this outbreak ranged in age from 56 to 83 years. Five of them were so sick they required hospitalization.
Health officials have interviewed five of the people sickened. Four of them, 80 percent, said they ate brie or camembert cheese in the days before they developed symptoms of a Listeria infection which include severe headache, high fever, stiff neck, other muscle stiffness, confusion, and loss of balance. These symptoms often set in within 24 hours after eating contaminated foods, but sometimes it can take as long as 70 days for them to develop.
One of the patients remembered eating Lidl Premium Brand Brie before becoming ill. Old Europe Cheese is the only manufacturer of Lidl Premium Brand Brie.
Warning Letter
In April 2023, the FDA published a warning letter issued to the company after violations found during an inspection were not adequately addressed.
Experienced Listeria Lawyers
If you developed a Listeria infection after eating recalled cheese and would like to discuss your legal options, please contact our Listeria lawyers. Our Food Safety Team has more experience handling Listeria lawsuits than any other law firm in the country securing some of the largest Listeria settlements in U.S. history including a recent award of $6.4 million.
You can reach us by calling 1-888-377-8900, sending a text to 612-261-0856, or completing the form below. There is no obligation and we don’t get paid unless we win.