FDA identifies source of decade-long Listeria outbreak

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC) have identified queso fresco and cotija cheese manufactured by Rizo Lopez Foods (Modesto, CA) as the source of a deadly outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes illnesses that has gone unsolved for almost ten years.

Since June 2014, the outbreak has caused twenty-six illnesses, including two deaths. Twenty-three of the outbreak victims required hospitalization. Confirmed cases have been reported in eleven states.

The CDC investigated this outbreak twice before (in 2017 and 2021). Although epidemiological evidence pointed to queso fresco and other similar cheeses as the likely source at that time, health authorities were unable to trace the illnesses to a specific manufacturer.

The breakthrough came in January 2024, when the Hawaii State Department of Health found Listeria monocytogenes in a sample of Rizo Bros Aged Cotija cheese.

In response to the finding, the company recalled the contaminated production batch, and the FDA initiated an inspection of the Modesto, California, manufacturing facility.

While the inspection has not yet been completed, the FDA revealed yesterday (February 6, 2024) that it had recovered Listeria monocytogenes from an environmental sample collected at the plant. Whole genome sequencing carried out on the strain recovered from both the cotija sample and the environmental sample revealed that these were a match for the outbreak strain that has been circulating since 2014.

Rizo Lopez has now expanded its initial recall to encompass cheese, yogurt, and sour cream sold under the brand names Tio Francisco, Don Francisco, Rizo Bros, Rio Grande, Food City, El Huache, La Ordena, San Carlos, Campesino, Santa Maria, Dos Ranchitos, Casa Cardenas, and 365 Whole Foods Market. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

As is often the case, the manufacturer’s recall has triggered secondary recalls.

Simply Fresh LLC recalled Rojo’s Black Bean 6 Layer Dip 2-20oz Club Pack (multiple Use-by date codes), because the product contains cotija cheese supplied by Rizo Lopez.
Fresh Creative Foods, a division of Reser’s Fine Foods, Inc. has recalled certain cremas, everything sauces, cilantro cotija dressing, poblano Caesar dressing, cilantro dressing and one taco kit that contain a cheese ingredient supplied by Rizo Lopez.

It is likely that additional secondary recalls will follow.

What to do?

The FDA offers this guidance to consumers, retailers, and restaurants:

Do not eat, sell, or serve recalled brands of cheeses, sour creams (cremas), or yogurts manufactured by Rizo Lopez Foods, Inc.
Check your refrigerators and freezers for any recalled products and throw them away. If you froze a product without the original packaging and can’t tell if it is part of the recall, throw it away.
Consumers, restaurants, and retailers who purchased or received recalled products, including wholesale products, should carefully clean and sanitize any surfaces or containers that it touched. Follow FDA’s safe handling and cleaning advice to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. Listeria can survive in refrigerated temperatures and can easily spread to other foods and surfaces. 
If you have symptoms of listeriosis you should contact your health care provider to report your symptoms and receive care.

At-risk individuals should pay special attention to the following:

Listeria is most likely to sicken pregnant people and newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems. Other people can be infected with Listeria, but they rarely become seriously ill.
Pregnant people typically experience only fever, fatigue, and muscle aches. However, Listeria infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.
Call your healthcare provider right away if you have symptoms of a Listeria infection.