The Andalusian company Cheese Los Vázquez SL has informed the Ministry of Health and Families of the Junta de Andalucía of the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in a batch of your fresh goat and cow cheese. It is a refrigerated product distributed only in the provinces of Seville, Huelva and Cádiz, in its 250 g format. The affected cheeses are already being withdrawn from the market and at the moment there are no health cases associated with this alert.
As the company itself reports through a statement published on its website, the bacteria has been detected in a single batch of the aforementioned product during the analyzes carried out as part of the self-monitoring protocols of the company. Although the results of the second tests gave a Listeria count below the minimum identifiable in the laboratory, and although all previous and subsequent analysis of samples have been negative, the precautionary principle has been applied.
In this way, they are already withdrawing all the cheeses from the affected batch, distributed in the province of Cádiz in the towns of La Algaida, Algeciras, Los Barrios, Cádiz, Los Caños de Meca, Chiclana de la Frontera, Chipiona, Conil de la Frontera, San Roque Railway Station, Guadalcacín, Jerez de la Frontera, La Línea de la Concepción, Palmones, El Puerto de Santa María, Puerto Real, San Fernando, San Roque, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Vejer de la Frontera, Zahora and El Palmar. In the province of Huelva, in Aljaraque, La Antilla, Ayamonte, Beas, Cartaya, Gibraleón, Isla Antilla, Isla Canela, Isla Cristina, Lepe, Moguer, El Rompido and Trigueros. And in the province of Seville, in Las Cabezas de San Juan, El Coronil, El Palmar de Troya and El Cuervo.
The complete details of the affected product are as follows:
Product name on label: Fresh goat and cow milk cheese.
Brand name: The Vázquez.
Lot Number: 0904-4.
Date of Expiry: 02.10.21.
Unit weight: 250 g.
Storage temperature: refrigerated.
It is recommended to all consumers who may have purchased a product linked to the affected batch, or to refrain from consuming it and return it to the point of sale. In the case of having consumed it and presenting any compatible symptoms with listeriosis (vomiting, diarrhea or fever), it is recommended to go to a health center and make it known to health professionals.
The bacteria Listeria monocytogenes causes one of the most serious foodborne infections, lysterioris, a gastrointestinal disease that presents a mortality of between 20 and 30% between certain risk population, such as the elderly or people with a weakened immune system, pregnant women are also another risk group as they can cause septicemia that endangers the life of the mother and the fetus.
It is usually transmitted precisely by consuming fresh cheeses, pâtés, sausages -frequently cooked or fresh-, cold cuts or raw vegetables, as they are more susceptible to being contaminated. Although it causes less than 50 poisonings a year in Spain, it is in summer when cases tend to increase. Thanks to internal and external sanitary controls and the operation of the Coordinated System for Rapid Information Exchange (SCIRI), affected products are typically detected and recalled prior to sale.
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