Karmactive Staff
If you bought raw cheddar cheese from Family Farmstead Dairy in the last few weeks, check the package date before you reach for it. The Worcester, New York company has now recalled all of its cheddar products because they may carry Listeria monocytogenes. This is the second raw cheddar recall from the same dairy in 26 days, and it covers 12 states.
The recall covers every 8-ounce plastic-wrapped Raw Mild Cheddar and Raw Sharp Cheddar package with a lot code or best-by date of 10/16/27 or earlier. The FDA notice says products affected were distributed through retail stores, without naming the chains. It lists 12 states: New York, New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee. No other Family Farmstead Dairy products are included.
That date cutoff is the whole test. Any package dated 10/16/27 or earlier should go back to the store for a refund. Do not eat it and do not taste it to check. Listeria can take up to 70 days to cause symptoms. A package that looks and smells fine can still be the one that makes you sick weeks later.
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that causes listeriosis. The infection can turn serious or fatal in young children, frail or elderly people, and anyone with a weakened immune system. Healthy adults usually get short-term symptoms: high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriage and stillbirth.
A second raw cheddar recall in 26 days
The November 10 announcement follows the company’s October 15 recall of certain raw cheddar products. That earlier action came after Maryland testing found Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O26:H11 and O45:H2 in samples of the cheese. Routine food-safety sampling detected those strains.
The two recalls do not cover the same packages. The October action was limited to a single lot code. This one covers every cheddar package dated 10/16/27 or earlier, which reaches further back on the shelf. Shoppers who cleared out the first recall should check the dates again rather than assume their package is clear.
The FDA notice lists the 12 states where the cheese was distributed, but it does not name the grocery chains that sold it. It also does not say how the Listeria contamination was found, or whether any illnesses have been reported.
What to do with a recalled package
Return the cheese to the place of purchase for a refund, or contact Family Farmstead Dairy directly. The company can be reached at (607) 397-4044, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., or by email at customerservice@familyfarmsteaddairy.com.
Raw cheese is sold unpasteurized, which means it has not been heat-treated to kill bacteria. That is the reason health agencies track raw dairy products closely for Listeria and E. coli. Soft and raw cheeses sit higher on the risk list than aged hard cheeses. The advice for anyone pregnant or immunocompromised is to avoid them altogether.
Symptoms of listeriosis can appear anywhere from a few days to 70 days after eating contaminated food. Anyone in a higher-risk group who ate raw cheddar in the last two months should mention the cheese to their doctor. That applies if fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, or abdominal pain follows. The long incubation window is why the recall date range reaches back as far as it does.
Questions shoppers are asking
Which Family Farmstead cheddar cheese is recalled?
All 8-ounce plastic-wrapped Raw Mild Cheddar and Raw Sharp Cheddar packages with a lot code or best-by date of 10/16/27 or earlier. The cheese was sold in 12 states: New York, New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee.
How long after eating Listeria-contaminated cheese do symptoms appear?
Symptoms can start within a few days, but the incubation window can stretch to 70 days after eating the contaminated food. That is far longer than the two to four days typical of many common foodborne stomach bugs.
Have any illnesses been reported from the Family Farmstead Dairy recall?
No illnesses have been publicly reported in connection with the recall so far. The FDA notice does not link the action to any known cases.
Check the package date and return anything dated 10/16/27 or earlier. Contact the company at (607) 397-4044 or customerservice@familyfarmsteaddairy.com if you need help with a refund. The 70-day symptom window means the risk does not end when the package leaves your fridge. Pass the date check to anyone you bought the cheese for.
