Vulto Creamery, a Walton, New York, company, issued a recall of raw milk cheese that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The cheese has been distributed to Whole Foods Market and other retailers. Our law firm is investigating an outbreak of severe illnesses linked to this cheese.
What Vulto Creamery cheese has been recalled?
The recall involves all lots of Ouleout, Miranda, Heinennellie, and Willowemoc soft, wash-rind raw milk cheeses. If you have any of this soft, wash-rind raw-milk cheese, please do not consume it. The soft raw milk cheeses were distributed nationwide, with most being sold at retail locations in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic States, California, Chicago, Portland and Washington, DC. Whole Foods is one retailer that received some of these products. In response to the outbreak, Whole Foods is recalling Vulto Creamery raw milk cheeses from nine stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine and New York out of an abundance of caution. According to the company, “No illnesses have been reported to date.”
Was Listeria monocytogenes bacteria found in products?
Yes, the outbreak strain of Listeria was identified in samples taken from three intact wheels of Ouleout cheese collected from Vulto Creamery. FDA testing found Ouleout lot # 617 positive for Listeria monocytogenes and the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets found possible contamination of Ouleout lot #623.
This dangerous pathogen can cause severe illness, including meningitis (infection of the brain), sepsis, pneumonia and encephalitis. In pregnant women, listeriosis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth. Newborns can be born with listeriosis. Our law firm has represented families whose loved ones died after eating food contaminated with Listeria.
How many people have been sickened in the listeriosis outbreak associated with Volto Creamery products?
Six people from 4 states have been sickened in the listeriosis outbreak, all of them infected with the same strain of Listeria monocytogenes based on DNA testing: Connecticut (1); Florida (1); New York (3); and Vermont (1).
All six people, newborn to age 89, were hospitalized, and two people from Connecticut and Vermont died. One illness was reported in a newborn.
Listeria specimens from the 6 ill people were collected from September 1, 2016 to January 22, 2017.
Can people sickened in the outbreak sue for compensation?
Yes, people sickened in the outbreak can sue, and our lawyers can help them get full compensation. We are one of the few law firms in the U.S. that handles a lot of these cases and wins multi-million-dollar settlements and verdicts. We have experience using DNA testing and other evidence to build winning cases for our clients.
If you or a loved one was sickened by this cheese, what should you do with the leftovers?
You should contact our law firm before throwing it away or returning it to the store where you bought it. The cheese might be needed as evidence.
How much is your lawsuit worth?
Our Listeria lawyers look at several factors to determine how much a case is worth. Below is information on one of our top cases:
Attorney Fred Pritzker and his Bad Bug Law Team won a $4.5 million settlement on behalf of a young man who sustained serious physical and cognitive damage as a result of Listeria meningitis from a contaminated food product. It is one of the largest individual listeria settlements ever received.
What is the FDA recommending consumers do with this cheese?
According to the FDA:
“Consumers that have any of these soft raw milk cheeses from Vulto Creamery should return the cheese to the purchase location for a refund. Food and cheese wholesalers and retailers with any of the Vulto Creamery soft, wash-rind raw milk cheeses on hand should immediately remove these products from common storage coolers and quarantine these cheeses in a secured area of a cooler.”
The FDA instructions above are indicative of how dangerous this bacterial agent is to consumers.
