Some Retailer Names Released in Relation to Outbreak Traced to Soft Cheeses

The FDA has posted lists of retailers who may have received queso fresco cheeses that are linked to a deadly outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections. The lists may not include all retailers who received the cheeses, but are current as of today (5 March 2021). 

Investigators with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration who are working with state agencies are reporting that the cheeses made by El Abuelito Cheese Inc. in Paterson, NJ, have been distributed in at least 25 states. The FDA investigation update says the products may have been distributed further.

So far it is known that the following states received the implicated cheese, samples of which have tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes: Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.

As of the posting of the FDA investigation update, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had not posted an outbreak update. The CDC’s most recent update on March 1, said there had been 11 illnesses confirmed across four states with one death.

The FDA is encouraging consumers and retailers to check homes and stores to determine whether they have any of the recalled cheeses on hand. Recalled brands by cheese type include:

• Queso Fresco: El Abuelito, Rio Grande, Rio Lindo
• Quesillo: El Abuelito, El Viejito, El Paisano, El Sabrosito, La Cima, Quesos Finos, San Carlos, Ideal Brands
• Requeson: El Abuelito, El Viejito

Retail Establishments that Received El Abuelito Brand Queso Fresco, Quesillo, and Requeson Products are listed here.

Retail Establishments that Received Private Label Brand Queso Fresco (Rio Grande, Rio Lindo), Quesillo (El Viejito, El Paisano, El Sabrosito, La Cima, Quesos Finos, San Carlos, Ideal Brands), and Requeson Products (El Viejito) are listed here.

Read the full update