Food Safety Alert! Gouda Cheese May Be the Cause of E. coli Outbreak

[Editor's note: The food safety alert on Bravo Farm Dutch Style Gouda  (described below) has now been upgraded to a recall. In addition, there is another recall on Mauri Gorgonzola cheese sold only at Costco in Colorado and distributed by DPI Specialty Foods of Tualatin, Oregon.  because of E.coli pathogens found in a package of the cheese. The "sell-by" dates on the tainted Gorgonzola cheese are January 13-14, 2011.

For more information on these recalls, click on the  following links.

gorgonzola cheese:  http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm233727.htm

Gouda cheese: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm233078.htm]

The FDA, CDC, and Costco Wholesale Corp. are warning consumers to avoid Bravo Farms Dutch Style Gouda Cheese because it may be related to an outbreak of E.coli infections. This is an alert, not a recall—at least not yet. So far, the cheese has been preliminarily linked to the outbreak, but the connection has not been confirmed. Perhaps the product is still being tested, and so far no positive results have been detected, explained food scientist Dr. Catherine Cutter. 

The Gouda cheese was offered for sale and at cheese sampling events at Costco from October 5 – November 1 in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and the San Diego, California area from October 5 – November 1.  The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has reported 25 cases of people sickened by E. coli in these five states during the same time period. Nine of them required hospitalization. E. coli symptoms include stomach cramps, diarrhea, and dehydration and sometimes require medical intervention.

Costco has removed the remaining Bravo Gouda cheese from its stores and has used purchase records to notify consumers about the alert. Consumers who have any of this product in their homes can return the cheese to the store for a refund.

For more information on E. coli, click here

http://www.foodsafety.gov/poisoning/causes/bacteriaviruses/ecoli.html

Source(s):

Associated Press  “Costco says avoid cheese linked to E.coli outbreak”

http://www.wreg.com/news/nationworld/kcpq-costco-gouda-cheese-recall-110410,0,6062853.story

Goodhousekeeping.com  “Food Safety Alert: Cheese Sold at Costco”

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/product-testing/ghri-test-kitchen/food-safety-alert-bravo-farms-cheese

Catherine N. Cutter, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, Dept. of Food Science