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DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Dairy Products Control Bureau discovered possible Listeria contamination as part of the follow-up testing of cheese products from Maytag Dairy Farms of Newton.
The voluntary recall of lot No 150482 of Maytag Raw Milk Blue Cheese, announced Thursday, Maytag Farms announced a voluntary recall of lot No 150481 that was announced on Feb. 13 due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
Lot 150482 includes approximately 1,100 pounds of cheese, some of which was distributed to retail locations prior to the initial recall by Maytag Dairy Farms. No new information was immediately available from IDALS about which outlets might have received cheese from lot No. 150842 but no cheese has been distributed since the initial positive test for Listeria monocytogenes.
As of Thursday, there have been no reported illnesses linked to the product.
Some products from the lot recalled on Feb. 13 ended up at Fareway of Newton, HoQ restaurant in Des Moines, the Bear Restaurant in Ankeny, Wine Experience in West Des Moines, Lomar Distributing, Inc. in Des Moines or were purchased directly from Maytag Dairy Farms.
Hy-Vee of Newton Manager Store Operations Jon Holland said last weekend the Maytag Blue Cheese on the shelves Saturday at the store had the lot number 150201.
IDALS's Dairy Products Control Bureau discovered the possible contamination during routine testing, and Thursday's announcement came after follow-up testing.
Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume those. Customers can call Maytag Dairy Farms at 800-247-2458 or 641-791-2010 to arrange for a refund and return of the product.
Listeria is a pathogen found in the environment. The very young, elderly and those who are immuno-compromised are especially susceptible by eating product contaminated with Listeria.
More information can be found on the Centers for Disease Control website: www.cdc.gov/listeria.
Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com