Rockford Grocery Stores Recalling Cheese Because Of Listeria

Grocery stores across Rockford are pulling certain brands of cheese off the shelves after testing confirmed a form of bacteria was present. 

If you are a fan of Sargento cheese and you recently purchased it, check what brand it is. You may have to throw it away or take it back.

Sargento Cheese has recalled certain brands of cheese after a random test found traces of Listeria. Here is what is found on the Sargento website:

"We are closely monitoring and gathering information on the national recall.  Deutsch Kase Haus, LLC , based in Middlebury, Ind., notified Sargento Foods Inc. that a specialty Longhorn Colby cheese it supplied to Sargento must be recalled due to a potential contamination of Listeria monocytogenes. There are no confirmed illnesses."

According to the CDC, Listeria can affect people with immune systems that are weak, people over the age of 65, and pregnant women. This bacteria can cause death.

Here are the Sargento products being recalled:

"Sargento Ultra Thin Sliced Longhorn Colby, 6.84 oz., UPC 4610000228, with “Sell By” dates of “12APR17B” and “10MAY17B”

Sargento Chef Blends Shredded Nacho & Taco Cheese, 8 oz., UPC 4610040041, with “Sell By” dates of “H14JUN17” and “H12JUL17”

Sargento Sliced Colby-Jack Cheese, 12 oz., UPC 4610000109 with “Sell By” date of “11JUN17B”

Sargento Sliced Pepper Jack Cheese, 12 oz., UPC 4610000108 with “Sell By” dates of  “12JUN17B”, “09JUL17B” and “10JUL17B”

Sargento Chef Blends Shredded Taco Cheese, 8 oz., UPC 4610040002 with “Sell By” dates of “H14JUN17” and “F28JUN17”

Sargento Off The Block Shredded Fine Cut Colby-Jack Cheese, 8 oz., UPC 4610040014 with “Sell By” date of “F05JUL17”

Sargento Off The Block Shredded Fine Cut Cheddar Jack Cheese, 8 oz., UPC 4610040076 with “Sell By” date of “F05JUL17”

This recall not only affects Sargento, but also Meijer.

The FDA website says that the same cheese that was supplied to Sargento was also supplied to Meijer. Here are the brands that are affected from Meijer:

"The recalled product will be in plastic deli packaging with printed labels that have the UPCs 215927xxxxxx or 215938xxxxxx – the last 6 digits will vary, and are determined by weight since the product was purchased at the deli counter."

The company that is in the center of this is called Deutsch Kase Haus LLC. They are based in Indiana and supply both Sargento and Meijer with cheese. At this time, they have no comment on the situation.

As of now, no one has reported being sick. It could take up to 70 days for symptoms to be noticed. If you have any brand of cheese listed above, throw it away or take it back to where you bought it from.