It is time to check the ricotta cheese in your refrigerator if you have yet to use it or already disposed of it because you heard about this latest recall. As of September 12, 14 people had been affected in 11 states and this includes three fatalities due to Listeria that has been linked to imported ricotta salata cheese, according to the CDC website.

Forever Cheese Inc. voluntarily recalled a single lot of its Frescolina ricotta salata cheese on September 10 due to Listeria contamination.

Listeria is a foodborne bacterial illness that can sometimes be very severe. Some individuals may experience the typical symptoms of food poisoning, while others become very ill and can die from the bacteria. The CDC was able to quickly trace back the source of the bacteria that made 14 people very ill. All of the victims said that they consumed the cheese before becoming sick. The FDA has even been able to identify the exact strain of Listeria involved by testing an uncut sample of the cheese.

The cheese was sold to distributors that services restaurants in approximately 19 states and the contaminated units were shipped between June 20th and August 9. The lot number of the packages is T9425 with production code 441202. The packages contain one or both of these numbers.

Any remaining cheese should be discarded. This is especially important for pregnant women where Listeria can be very dangerous to the fetus. It is also potentially fatal for those with weakened immune systems, children, and older adults.

So far, there has been only one case in Minnesota of an individual becoming sick with 9 other states sharing the remaining 13 victims. All 14 of the individuals had to be hospitalized. Four of them were pregnant with two of them being newborns. The remaining patients were ages 56 to 87.

While this is a small number compared to the 800 cases of Listeria confirmed in laboratories throughout the United States, the fatality rate can be quite high.

Foods that have been linked to previous outbreaks include sprouts, cantaloupe, Mexican-style soft cheeses, celery, and ready-to-eat deli meat.

If you have consumed cheese not knowing that it was contaminated, you may be eligible for compensation. To learn more, contact a personal injury lawyer in Minneapolis at TSR Injury Law for your free consultation. Ph: (612) TSR-TIME.