AUSTIN — Whole Foods has issued a voluntary national recall for Maytag Raw Milk Blue Cheese because of possible contamination with listeria.
The recalled cheese was sold cut and packaged in clear plastic wrap with scale labels in various weights reading "Maytag Blue Raw Milk," "Maytag Blue" or "Maytag Iowa Blue Cheese" and with PLU numbers beginning with 293308 and "sell-by" dates of Jan. 20 and March 21, the grocery chain said.
The cheese was sold in Whole Foods Market (WFM) cheese cases nationwide, the notice on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's website said.
The Austin-based organic grocery store said Monday that the recall was issued after testing in Iowa revealed the presence of listeria in two lots of product from Maytag Dairy Farms. Maytag, of Newton, Iowa, has voluntarily suspended production and distribution while it works with the FDA and Iowa to find the cause of the possible contamination.
According to the notice on the FDA's site, no illnesses have been reported.
Listeria can cause serious infections in the young, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. Symptoms of infection can include "high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea," the store said. It can cause miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women.
Whole Foods said those who have purchased the product should discard it and may bring their receipt to their local store for a refund. People with questions can call 512-477-5566, extension 20060, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday.
