A U.S. District Court has entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against Rizo Lopez Foods, a company that produced queso fresco and cotija cheese products linked to a decade-long listeriosis outbreak, requiring the firm to stop producing and selling certain products until FDA can confirm its compliance with federal food safety regulations.

A recent study evaluated the effect of brine pH, salt level, storage temperature, and use of hydrogen peroxide to kill Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus, salt-tolerant pathogens known to contaminate cheese brine.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will release a new prevention strategy aimed at reducing foodborne listeriosis cases and outbreaks associated with the consumption of fresh, soft Queso Fresco-type (QFT) cheeses.

This article presents the key findings of outbreak investigations from 2014–2021 that have been linked to the consumption of fresh, soft queso fresco-type cheeses in the U.S. The authors outline some of the specific circumstances that small manufacturers of all cheeses may encounter in an effort to provide lessons learned and highlight available resources.

The French Agency for Food, Environmental, and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) published a report on the microbiological risks associated with raw milk cheeses.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made two updates to its materials for stakeholders regarding the proposed rule, “Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods” (Food Traceability Proposed Rule). 

Fry’s Food Stores, Fred Meyer, and Kroger is recalling select cheese dips sold because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

Mondelēz Global LLC announced today a voluntary recall of a limited quantity of RITZ Cheese Cracker Sandwiches Family Size (21.6 oz. carton) product in the United States.

Quesos La Ricura LTD. of Hicksville, NY, is recalling 12 oz. packages of Cotija Cheese (Queso Cotija) because it may be contaminated with Shiga toxin producing E. coli bacteria (Shiga toxin producing E. coli).

Limena, LLC of Palm Springs, FL. is recalling its 1 lb. (16 ounce) blocks of Salvadorean String Cheese (Quesillo Cheese) semi-soft cheese because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.