RECALL: Whole Foods Market Recalls Crave Brothers Cheese; Possible Health Risk

Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black is alerting Georgians to the recall of certain lots of Crave Brothers Cheese, sold at Whole Foods Market stores. The market announced Monday it would recall Crave Brothers Les Freres cheese in response to a recall by the Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese Company of Waterloo, Wis.

The cheese product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, the elderly and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

To date, one illness and one death have been reported.

Regulatory agencies informed Crave Brothers of an ongoing investigation related to potential health risks associated with Listeria. The company immediately ceased the production and distribution of the products.

The recalled cheese was packaged in clear plastic wrap and sold with Whole Foods Market scale labels. Cheese distributed in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee is labeled "Les Freres Crave Brothers PO-RK" with a PLU of 294473.

Whole Foods Market stores posted signage to notify customers of the recall. Those who purchased this product from Whole Foods Market should discard it and may bring their receipts into stores for a full refund.

Georgia Department of Agriculture inspectors will be checking retail stores and food warehouses to make sure the recalled product is removed from sale.

Questions about this recall?
Contact 512-477-5566 extension 20060 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CDT Monday through Friday. Consumers may also contact Crave Brothers directly at 920-478-4887 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CDT Monday through Friday.

To view a comprehensive list of food and feed recalls affecting Georgia, visit our Food Safety Division recall website. If this recall expands or additional details become available in the future, the website will provide the most up-to-date information.