Whole Foods Markets in Utah recall cheese

The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food on Wednesday announced a voluntary recall of Crave Brothers Les Freres cheese, sold in Whole Foods Markets in Salt Lake City at Trolley Square and Cottonwood Heights.

The cheese may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.

No illnesses have been reported in Utah. To date, one death and one illness nationwide have been reported.

Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, an infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

State food safety inspectors say both retail outlets in Utah have removed the product from their shelves. Consumers who bought the cheese should discard it and bring a receipt or the product to a store for a refund.

"While we feel confident the product is now off store shelves, we want consumers to check their refrigerators for the product and it throw out," said state regulatory services director Richard Clark.

The product sold in Utah contained the PLU code number: 299682.

The cheese was sold in 30 states and Washington D.C. The recalled Crave Brothers Les Frères cheese was cut and packaged in clear plastic wrap and sold with Whole Foods Market scale labels.