Manufacturer voluntarily recalls cheese product

The AssociatedPress

PARAMOUNT, Calif. -- A manufacturer voluntarily recalled 10,000 packages of Queso Fresco Cheese after a sampling program found potentially fatal listeria bacteria in the product.

The green-labeled Queso Fresco in flat, circular vacuum-sealed clear bags, was distributed to retail grocery stores in California and New York, Ariza Cheese Co., Inc., said Wednesday.

The product being recalled has a "use by" date of Sept. 26, 2002, and the UPC code 3313688262, the cheese company said.

The Food and Drug Administration found the bacteria in a test of the finished product. The company said there have been no reports of illnesses related to consumption of the product.

Consuming food contaminated with listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease. Healthy people rarely contract it, but people with weakened immune systems are at risk. Pregnant women could suffer miscarriages.

Consumers were urged to return the recalled cheese to the place of purchase for a full refund.