After a deadly Listeria outbreak linked to its queso fresco and cotija cheeses, a federal court has halted Rizo Lopez production and sales. The outbreak sickened 26 people in 11 states between June 15, 2014, and December 10, 2023. Twenty-three people from AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, NV, NC, OR, TN, TX, and WA were hospitalized. Two people died and two women lost their pregnancies.
The outbreak triggered a major recall, for cheese sold at Albertsons, Bristol Farms, Carrs-Safeway, Costco, Eagle, Lucky, Pavilions, Randalls, Safeway, Save Mart, Shaw’s, Sprouts (S&S), Star Market, Stater Bros. Markets, Tom Thumb, and Vons. The recall was expanded in Februray 2024 to include all of the company’ cheeses.
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On October 8, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against Rizo Lopez Foods Inc. of Modesto, CA, and its co-owners, Edwin Rizo and Tomas Rizo. The consent decree bars Rizo Lopez Foods from making and selling cheese until the company is in compliance with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, federal regulations, and other requirements.
The outbreak, which spanned a nine-year period, was detected when health officials in Hawaii tested a product sample of Rizo Lopez Cotija Mexican Grating Cheese and it was positive for Listeria. Whole genome sequencing on that Listeria sample determined its “genetic fingerprint” which was then matched to illnesses in a national database maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Inspectors from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found the same Listeria strain in smaples they collected from the company’s manufcaturing facility during a January–February 2024 inspection.
The illnesses occurred occurred in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.. This indicates that the company’s attempts to eliminate the bacteria from its facility were unsuccessful.
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If you were sickened in this outbreak or if you suffered the wrongful death of a family member and would like a free consultation with our experienced team of Listeria lawyers, please contact us today by calling 888-377-8900 (toll-free), texting 612-261-0856, or by completing the form below.