Cheese Recall Expands as New Products Added to Listeria Scare

Rico Brand has recalled its ready-to-eat enchiladas, warning its customers of the products' potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

The company based in Salt Lake City, Utah, announced the recall on February 12, but it wasn't posted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website until Wednesday.

The announcement comes after Rizo-Lopez Foods, Inc., of Modesto, California, recalled its dairy products, including the Queso Fresco cheese used in the ready-to-eat enchiladas. The Rizo-Lopez recall was due to a nationwide Listeria outbreak.

Listeria "can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems," according to Rico Brand's announcement.

"Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women," the announcement read.

There have been no reported illnesses in connection with the recalled products as of February 12.

Here are the products recalled by Rico Brand:

• Cheese Enchiladas with Red (14.5-ounce four-package)
• Cheese Enchiladas with Green (14.5-ounce four-package)
• Chicken Enchilada with Rice & Beans/Green (14-ounce)
• Chicken Enchilada with Mole, Rice & Beans (14-ounce)

The recalled products had the following lot numbers and expiration dates: Lot. 0234, 2/13/24; Lot. 0264, 2/16/24; Lot. 0304, 2/20/24; and Lot. 0334, 2/23/24.

Rico Brand enchiladas were sold in northern Utah at the following supermarkets: Smith's, Harmons, Macey's and Fresh Markets.

The company advised customers to either throw out any recalled products or return them for a full refund.

Rico praised "the support we receive from the USDA & FDA to make sure our customers' health is a priority," calling it "amazing" in an email to Newsweek on Thursday.

The FDA told Newsweek via email on Thursday: "Per agency policy, we do not comment on ongoing investigations."

Newsweek reached out to Rizo-Lopez via email on Thursday. The company responded on Friday, referring Newsweek to a statement from its CEO, Edwin Rizo.

The statement read, in part: "Rizo Lopez Foods, Inc. is a family-owned company we started as a small, local cheese supplier in 1900 ... This is the first time any product we manufacture has been linked to a foodborne illness.

"The day we were told by the FDA and CDC that our products may be linked to a foodborne illness, we immediately stopped production and distribution. We then voluntarily recalled 100% of the products manufactured in our facility."

Rizo continued: "We are sincerely sorry for the people who have been affected by this issue ... We are working hard to find the root cause of the problem and take corrective actions to prevent it from happening again ... The health and well-being of our consumers is our top priority."

Rizo-Lopez has recalled its cheddar, cotija, Frier, fresco, Monterey, Oaxaca, panela and paneer cheeses, yogurt and sour cream. The recall was announced on February 5.

The company said in the recall announcement that it "may be a potential source of illness in an ongoing nationwide Listeria monocytogenes outbreak."

The FDA is conducting an on-site inspection at Rizo Lopez. While the investigation is ongoing, "an additional environmental sample collected during that inspection has tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes," according to an FDA update.

"Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) analysis of that sample showed that it is the same strain of Listeria that is causing illnesses in this outbreak," the administration said.

The FDA is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to examine "illnesses in a multi-year, multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to queso fresco and cotija cheeses manufactured by Rizo Lopez Foods, Inc., of Modesto, California," according to its website.

Update 02/23/24, 2:10 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with a statement from the CEO of Rizo Lopez.