New Listeria fears as dozens of artisan cheeses pulled from shelves after Brit’s death

Dozens of artisanal cheeses have been urgently recalled due to fears that they may be contaminated with Listeria.

Food safety watchdogs have issued a warning about the potential risk of 26 Cambridge Food Company products with expiry dates up to 14 April 2023.

Cheddar, Stilton and Wensleydale are among the varieties sold by the Wiltshire brand to 15 retailers across England, including London, Leicester and York.

The recall is a “precautionary measure” due to concerns that these cheeses have been cross-contaminated with other products containing the bacteria.

It comes after health chiefs announced last week that a Briton had died from listeria in an outbreak linked to contaminated cheese.

Those who eat food containing Listeria develop an infection called listeriosis, which can cause fever, pain, chills, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) last night urged the public not to eat any of the 26 newly identified cheeses.

These include Pitchfork Cheddar, T&T Stilton and Old Roan Wensleydale options, as well as The Cambridge Food Company, Appleby Red Cheshire and Kirkhams Lancashire cheeses.

The products are sold as 1kg wheels to wholesalers and retailers, but can then be cut into smaller pieces for sale to Brits in shops and delicatessens.

Butchers Meat n16 in North London and Bridge 67 in Leicester were among the buyers of the properties.

Britons who believe they have bought the affected products will be banned from eating them. You can contact The Cambridge Food Company for a full refund.

Those who brought the items were also advised to isolate and wrap the cheese securely for the company to collect.

They should also thoroughly clean any surfaces they may have touched to avoid cross-contamination from other foods.

DR Caroline Handford, FSA Director of Incidents, said: “Cambridge Food Company Ltd (trade name Cheese+) has recalled several of their cheeses because they may contain Listeria monocytogenes.

“This is a voluntary recall due to possible on-site cross-contamination with previously recalled cheese products.

“This issue only affects products sold by the food companies listed in the recall notice.

“We welcome the company’s precautionary approach and advise consumers not to consume any of the products listed in the FSA warning.”

It comes after Cambridge Food Company last month recalled three cheeses – The Old Cheese Room Baronet, Baby Baronet and Mini Baronet – after Listeria was found in some batches of the products.

Earlier this week, Pennard Red Goats Cheese, manufactured by the Somerset Cheese Company, with an April 28 expiration date, was recalled after it was found to contain Listeria.

Listeria is bacteria that poses a particular danger to the elderly, pregnant women and babies.

For most people, listeria poisoning can look like the flu and include a high temperature, muscle aches, chills, and nausea or vomiting.

Usually the symptoms disappear after a few days.

However, life-threatening complications such as sepsis and meningitis can occur in some vulnerable groups.

Listeria typically infects refrigerated, ready-to-eat foods such as prepackaged sandwiches, pies, and soft cheeses.

According to the latest available data, a total of 124 cases of listeriosis were reported in England and Wales in 2020.

Meanwhile, in the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 1,600 people develop listeriosis each year.

Last month, the FSA and the UK Health Safety Agency said they had detected three Listeria cases “possibly linked to an outbreak” and one person had died.

Food safety watchdogs have now issued an urgent warning about the potential risk of certain semi-soft Baronet cheeses, some of which contain “exceptionally high levels” of the bacteria

Food safety watchdogs have issued an urgent warning about the potential risk of a batch of Pennard Rooibos cheese (pictured)

They did not provide any further information about the fatal accident.

All those infected had a genetically closely related strain of Listeria, which was also found in samples of Baronet cheese.

However, this does not necessarily mean that everyone involved in the outbreak contracted listeriosis from eating Baronet cheese.

Listeria was also found in samples taken from “food environments,” they said.

However, it is unclear where they are located and officials have insisted that there is “no confirmation” that Baronet is the cause of the outbreak.

Health chiefs are investigating the cause of the outbreak