Listeria Outbreak Linked to Soft Cheese

For Everyone
Español

Food safety alert

Investigation status: Open
Recall issued: Yes

CDC and public health officials in several states are investigating a multistate outbreak of Listeria infections linked to soft cheese.

  • Do not eat recalled soft cheese. If you have any of these recalled products in your home, throw them out or return them to the store.
  • CDC and FDA are working to identify any other products linked to this outbreak.
Updates Locations Timeline

Fast Facts

  • Cases: 12
  • Hospitalizations: 10
  • Deaths: 1
  • States: 4
Updates Locations Timeline

Recalled food

Clover Hill Dairy Cheese

On June 18, 2026, Clover Hill Dairy expanded their recall to include all of its cheese products. The affected products:

  • Were sold from their retail market, at farmers markets, and through other distributors.
  • Were distributed in North Carolina, New York, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Washington, DC. Cheeses could have been further distributed to additional states.
Clover Hill Dairy
Recalled Products

Soft and Semi-Soft “Spanish Style Cheese Varieties”

  • Cuajada
  • Soft Cuajada
  • Soft Cuajada in Brine
  • Soft Cuajada Crumbs
  • Ricotta/Requesón

Mild Cheese Varieties

  • Yummy Cheddar
  • White Cheddar
  • White Colby
  • Monterey Jack
  • Marble Jack
  • Fresh Cheddar Curd
  • Snack Pack - Assorted (White Colby, Marble Jack, and Yummy Cheddar)
  • 3-in-A-Pack - Assorted (White Colby, Marble Jack, and Yummy Cheddar)

Hard Cheese Varieties

  • Yummy Cheddar
  • White Cheddar
  • White Colby
  • Snack Pack Sharp Stix

Smoked Cheddar Cheese Varieties

  • Cheddar
  • White Cheddar

Flavored Cheeses

  • Horseradish
  • Old Bay Cheddar

Pepper Cheese Varieties

  • Jalapeno Cheddar
  • Pepper Jack
  • Sizzlin’ Colby (with Habanero Peppers)
  • Snack Pack- Assorted Pepper Stix (Jalapeno Cheddar and Pepper Jack)
  • 3-in-A-Pack - Assorted (Jalapeno Cheddar, Pepper Jack, and Sizzlin Colby)

Smoked Pepper Cheese Varieties

  • Jalapeno Cheddar
View Larger
Image of soft ricotta with jalapeños and plain soft ricotta cheese in clear, plastic container
Requesón/soft ricotta cheese

Nelson & Isa Lacteos

Nelson & Isa Lacteos LLC. of Bayshore, NY recalled requesón cheese:

  • Sold in 1 lb plastic clam shells
  • Sold in retail locations in New York from May 15 to May 28, 2026
  • Likely repacked at the retail store locations, and labeling or coding may vary based on location of purchase

What People at High Risk Should Do

Fact

Listeria is especially harmful if you are pregnant, 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system due to certain medical conditions or treatments. If you are pregnant, it can cause pregnancy loss, premature birth, or a life-threatening infection in your newborn. Other people can be infected with Listeria, but they rarely become seriously ill.

If you are pregnant, 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system:

  • Do not eat recalled cheese. Be aware that soft cheese, even pasteurized ones, can be a riskier food choice. See CDC's advice for choosing safer foods.
  • Clean your refrigerator, containers, and surfaces that may have touched the recalled cheese. Listeria can survive in the refrigerator and can easily spread to other foods and surfaces.
  • Call a healthcare provider right away if you have these symptoms after eating the recalled cheese.
    • Pregnant women: Fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. Your illness may appear mild, but Listeria can still cause pregnancy loss or premature birth. It can also cause serious illness or death in newborns.
    • Other people may have: Headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, in addition to fever, muscle aches, and tiredness.

What Everyone Should do

  • Do not eat recalled cheese. Throw it away or return it to where you bought it.
  • Follow these steps to clean your refrigerator, containers, and surfaces that may have touched the recalled cheese. Listeria can survive in the refrigerator and can easily spread to other foods and surfaces.

What Businesses Should Do

  • Do not sell or serve recalled cheese.
  • Wash and sanitize items and surfaces that may have come in contact with the recalled cheese.
  • Follow FDA's safe handling and cleaning adviceif you sold or served the recalled cheese.

Listeria Symptoms

  • Listeria is especially harmful to pregnant women, people 65 or older, and those who have weakened immune systems. This is because Listeria is more likely to spread beyond their gut to other parts of the body, resulting in a severe condition known as invasive listeriosis.
    • For pregnant women, Listeria can cause pregnancy loss, premature birth, or a life-threatening infection in newborns.
    • For people who are 65 years or older or who have a weakened immune system, Listeria often results in hospitalization and sometimes death.
  • Symptoms usually start within 2 weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria but may start as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks after.
    • Pregnant women: Fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. Your illness may be mild, but Listeria can cause pregnancy loss or premature birth. It can also cause serious illness or death in newborns.
    • Other people may have: Headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, in addition to fever, muscle aches, and tiredness.

See also

Print
Content Source:
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID); Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases