Deadly Listeria Outbreak Linked To Cheese Sold At VA Whole Foods

VIRGINIA — Federal health officials are warning Virginia residents to check their refrigerators for several cheese products linked to a recent listeria outbreak, including one sold at Whole Foods Market locations throughout the state.

California-based Rizo-López Foods recalled dozens of cheese and yogurt products on Tuesday due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Listeria is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems.

The recalled products — which were sold in stores nationwide — were sold under the brand names Tio Francisco, Don Francisco, Rizo Bros, Rio Grande, Food City, El Huache, La Ordena, San Carlos, Campesino, Santa Maria, Dos Ranchitos, Casa Cardenas, and 365 by Whole Foods Market, according to officials.

Affected 365 by Whole Foods Market products include whole and part-skim ricotta cheeses. A spokesperson with Whole Foods confirmed to Patch the ricotta was shipped to locations nationwide.

As of Feb. 6, a total of 26 people in 11 states have been infected with this outbreak strain of Listeria between June 15, 2014, and Dec. 10, 2023, officials said.

Of 26 people reported sick, 23 have been hospitalized and two deaths have been reported, according to officials.

So far, no illnesses have been reported in Virginia.

The CDC investigated this outbreak in 2017 and 2021 when epidemiological evidence in previous investigations identified queso fresco and other similar cheeses as a potential source of the outbreak. However, at the time, there was not enough information to identify a specific brand.

Officials reopened the investigation in January after new illnesses were reported in December and the outbreak strain was found in a cheese sample from Rizo-López Foods, according to officials.

The FDA inspected the Rizo-López Foods facility and found the outbreak strain of Listeria on a container where cheeses are kept before they are packaged, according to officials.

If infected with Listeria, healthy people may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, officials said. The infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported as not all people who become sick are tested, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses, officials noted.

Consumers should check their refrigerators and freezers for any of the products listed here and throw them away, according to the FDA.

Affected 365 by Whole Foods Market products were sold at the following Virginia locations:

• 1800 Laskin Rd., Virginia Beach
• 1797 Hydraulic Rd., Charlottesville
• 19800 Belmont Chase Dr. Unit 160, Ashburn
• 11660 Plaza America Dr., Reston
• 4501 Market Commons Dr., Fairfax
• 143 Maple Ave. E., Vienna
• 1635 Boro Pl., McLean
• 7511 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church
• 6426 Springfield Plaza, Springfield
• 2700 Wilson Blvd., Arlington
• 520 12th St. S. Ste 100, Arlington
• 1700 Duke St., Alexandria
• 11173 W. Broad St., Glen Allen
• 2024 W. Broad St., Richmond
• 12090 Jefferson Ave. Ste 100, Newport News