Ricotta Cheese Recalled After 14 People Sickened

An illness that killed three people and sickened 14 in 11 states and the District of Columbia has prompted the recall of an imported ricotta salata cheese, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on its website Tuesday.

Forever Cheese Inc., on Monday voluntarily recalled one lot of Frescolina brand ricotta salata cheese due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination, the CDC said.

Ricotta salata is dry and crumbly - not the soft ricotta used in lasagna, according to a U.S. News report.

Listeriosis is a foodborne bacterial illness that can be severe. One person in Pennsylvania was sickened in this case so far.

The cheese was sold to distributors for retail stores and restaurants in California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington between June 20 and Aug. 9, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.

Officials did not specify which stores sold the cheese.

The recalled packages carry:

• Lot number T9425 and/or
• Production code 441202

Anyone who bought recalled Frescolina ricotta salata cheese should discard any remaining cheese and not eat it. Pregnant women, those with a weakened immune system and older adults are at higher risk of getting sick.

Consumers who bought the cheese should contact the seller for a refund. For more information, call Jeff DiMeo at Forever Cheese (888) 930-8693 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time and mention "recall."