Recall—it’s a food lover’s least favorite word, and we’ve been seeing an unfortunate amount of it in the cheese world. The latest news comes from Whole Foods, which has voluntary recalled Papillon Organic Roquefort cheese due to potential listeria contamination.
Listeria is a bacteria than can cause serious illness and in some cases even death. It’s mainly a risk to pregnant women, babies, the elderly, and adults with weakened immune systems. The bacteria was found in Roquefort cheese wheels during routine FDA testing, although no related infections have been found.
This recall comes among a string of listeria scares. Just a few weeks ago, a number of listeria cases were linked to Karoun Dairies soft cheeses. And earlier this summer, Blue Bell Creameries recalled all of its products after a listeria outbreak going back five years. This is also Papillon Roquefort’s second 2015 recall this year, the last one being due to a potential staphylococcus contamination.
Sarah Cummings
Sarah Cummings is a native New Yorker braving the Boston winters to study Writing, Literature, and Publishing at Emerson College. In her spare time, she can often be found rock climbing, cuddling the neighborhood cats, or integrating goat cheese into her every meal.
