Shredded cheese recalled over listeria concerns impacts food-maker Sargento

Alex Portée
HUIZENG HU

Sargento is issuing a recall for some of its shredded and grated cheese products being sold in 15 states due to potential listeria contamination.

An enforcement report from the Food and Drug Administration lists thousands of affected Sargento cheeses being recalled in:

  • Arizona

  • California

  • Florida

  • Georgia

  • Illinois

  • Indiana

  • Maryland

  • Nevada

  • New Jersey

  • North Carolina

  • Ohio

  • Rhode Island

  • Texas

  • Washington

  • Wisconsin

Sargento initiated the recall on Feb. 5, and the product retrieval remains ongoing. In an email to TODAY.com, the company clarified that the products being recalled are not Sargento-branded cheeses but rather from one of the company's suppliers, California-based Rizo-Lopez Foods Inc.

The Rizo-Lopez recall has also affected numerous other cheese brands.

In a statement, Sargento clarified the recall had only impacted "a limited amount" of its food service and ingredients products.

"On February 5, out of an abundance of caution, Sargento voluntarily recalled the products that were supplied by Rizo-Lopez Foods Inc. and products that were packaged on the same lines," the statement said. "This recall did not impact Sargento-branded products. Sargento immediately terminated its relationship with Rizo-Lopez Foods Inc. and immediately notified our customers."

According to the FDA, the wider Rizo-Lopez recall has resulted in 26 illnesses, including two deaths and 23 hospitalizations as of February 22.

Sargento has a food service and ingredients division that operates business-to-business, selling products to other food manufacturers and restaurants. These products, many of which were impacted by the recall, do not carry the Sargento brand.

The most heavily impacted items in the recall were white cheddar cheese products, with 2,633 cases being recalled. These had best-by dates of between March and June 2024. To see a full list of recalled cheese products, click here.

Listeria monocytogenes is listed as the reason for the recall.

Listeria monocytogenes is classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a bacteria responsible for a serious infection called listeriosis. The illness poses serious risks, especially to older adults, pregnant women, babies, and those with weakened immune systems. Contamination can bring on flu-like symptoms such as fever, muscle aches and upset stomach.

EDITOR'S NOTE (March 7, 2024, at 8 p.m. PT): An earlier version of this story cited an FDA report that named 11 Sargento-branded cheeses as part of the recall. In an email to TODAY.com, Sargento clarified that the impacted cheeses do not carry the Sargento branding .

This article was originally published on TODAY.com

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