Raw milk cheese from a Pennsylvania producer that was sold at an unknown number of retail locations has been found to be contaminated with Listeria. The manufacturer refuses to issue a recall.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is warning consumers to throw away BeiHollow brand raw milk cheddar cheese.
The Department of Agriculture purchased two retail packages of BeiHollow brand from Racoon Valley Farm in Millerstown, Perry County, as part of required U.S. Food and Drug Administration testing. Analysis showed that the cheese product was contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.
The raw milk cheese was distributed by the BeiHollow farm in Elizabethville, Dauphin County. BeiHollow has declined to recall the products, provide a list of retailers selling the cheese or cooperate with an investigation to determine the source of the contamination, the Agriculture Ministry said.
This is not the first time the Ministry of Agriculture has issued warnings about BeiHollow raw milk products. In 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture warned consumers to throw away raw whole milk and BeiHollow brand chocolate milk due to Listeria contamination.
The Department of Agriculture is currently not aware of any reported illnesses, but advises anyone who has consumed the cheese to consult their doctor if they experience symptoms.
Earlier this week, the Department of Agriculture warned that raw milk sold from a Lancaster County farm was found to be contaminated with E. coli bacteria.
Raw dairy products are known to carry bacteria and viruses because they are not pasteurized. State and federal public health officials warn against drinking raw milk or eating products made from it. The sale of raw milk across state lines is prohibited by federal law.
About Listeria infections
Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell putrid, but it can still cause serious and sometimes life-threatening infections. Anyone who has eaten any of the affected cheeses and developed symptoms of Listeria infection should seek medical attention and tell their doctor about the possible exposure to Listeria.
Also, anyone who has eaten any of the recalled products should monitor themselves for symptoms in the coming weeks, as it can take up to 70 days after exposure to Listeria for symptoms of listeriosis to develop.
Symptoms of a Listeria infection may include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headaches, and neck stiffness. Specific laboratory tests are needed to diagnose Listeria infections, which can mimic other diseases.
Pregnant women, the elderly, young children and people such as cancer patients with weakened immune systems are at particular risk of serious illness, life-threatening infections, other complications and death. Although infected pregnant women may experience only mild, flu-like symptoms, their infections can lead to preterm labor, infection of the newborn, or even stillbirth.
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