Sargento has issued a recall for some of its cheese products sold in 15 states due to potential listeria contamination. Listeria is type of bacteria that can lead to a potentially deadly infection in some populations if consumed.
The recall, which affects several grated and shredded cheese items, does not include Sargento-branded products. The products were sold to food service groups and not in grocery stores.
An enforcement report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lists thousands of affected cheeses being recalled in:
- Arizona
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Rhode Island
- Texas
- Washington
- Wisconsin
Sargento initiated the recall on Feb. 5, and the product retrieval remains ongoing. In an email to TODAY.com, the company said the affected products came from one of the company's suppliers, California-based Rizo-Lopez Foods Inc.
“On February 5, out of an abundance of caution, Sargento voluntarily recalled the products that were supplied by Rizo-Lopez Foods Inc. and products that were packaged on the same lines,” the statement said. “This recall did not impact Sargento-branded products. Sargento immediately terminated its relationship with Rizo-Lopez Foods Inc. and immediately notified our customers.”
The Rizo-Lopez cheese recall has also affected numerous other cheese brands, including those sold in Walmart, Trader Joe's and Costco. According to the FDA, the wider Rizo-Lopez recall has resulted in 26 illnesses, including two deaths and 23 hospitalizations as of Feb. 22, 2024.
Sargento has a food service and ingredients division that operates business-to-business, selling products to other food manufacturers and restaurants. These products, many of which were impacted by the recall, do not carry the Sargento brand.
The most heavily impacted items in the recall were white cheddar cheese products, with 2,633 cases being recalled. These had best-by dates of between March and June 2024.
To see a full list of recalled cheese products, visit the FDA website.
Listeria monocytogenes is classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a bacteria responsible for a serious infection called listeriosis. The illness poses serious risks, especially to older adults, pregnant women, babies, and those with weakened immune systems. Contamination can bring on flu-like symptoms, such as fever, muscle aches and upset stomach.
CLARIFICATION (March 7, 2024, at 8 p.m. PT): An earlier version of this story cited an FDA report that named 11 Sargento-branded cheeses as part of the recall. In an email to TODAY.com, Sargento clarified that the impacted cheeses do not carry the Sargento branding.
