Stores pull Wisconsin cheese linked to listeria outbreak



MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- FOX6 News spoke with officials from two grocery providers in the Milwaukee area that immediately pulled cheese distributed by Crave Brothers Farmstead Classics after it was determined to be linked to a listeria outbreak. Crave Brothers is a Wisconsin producer.

The products recalled are:


    The outbreak linked to the Les Freres cheese might have killed one person and sickened four others in four states, according to officials with the Food and Drug Administration. All of those sickened were infected with the same strain of listeriosis, the FDA said.

    Officials with Roundy's say they carried two of three products recalled. They were contacted by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and immediately pulled the cheeses from their shelves. Roundy's officials say they only carried the cheese under question in 30 of 161 of its stories. They are waiting for final FDA test results to determine if and when they will restock.

    FOX6 News also visited Larry's Market in Brown Deer. The owner of the specialty market indicated he was notified by distributors last week. The employees at Larry's immediately pulled and destroyed all the product they had in stock.

    Health officials are warning consumers not to consume the Les Freres, Petit Frere and Petit Frere with Truffles cheeses. 

    Crave Brothers has posted a statement on its website. President George Crave is quoted as saying: "We are cooperating with the regulatory agencies' ongoing investigation of the cause of the potential health risks."

    Crave Brothers says it has ceased production and distribution of the recalled products.

    Listeriosis is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease primarily affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems.

    A person with listeriosis usually has fever and muscle aches, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms, the CDC says. They might also have headaches, a stuff neck, confusion, loss of balance or convulsions.