No Cheese From This Dairy Was Left Out: Clover Hill's Recall Covered Every Cheese Including Cheddar, and the Outbreak Closed at 15 Illnesses and One Death
The most useful habit from the Clover Hill Dairy recall is to identify cheese by the plant number on the label. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention closed their Listeria investigation on August 26, 2026, with a final count of 15 people infected across four states, 14 hospitalized and one death in Maryland, with illness onsets ranging from March 6, 2023 to July 8, 2026. The products should no longer be on sale, but both agencies' closing guidance still asks consumers to check their refrigerators and freezers.
The scope of the recall matters. The Mechanicsville, Maryland dairy first recalled its requesón and soft ricotta cheeses voluntarily on June 3, 2026, then expanded the recall on June 18 to every cheese made at the facility, including hard cheeses such as cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby, pepper jack, smoked cheddar and cheese curds. The Maryland Department of Health had already suspended the dairy's operating license.
Relabeling is what makes the check harder. Some of the cheese was sold under other brand names, including KESSO, Quesos La Ricura, Izalco, De Mi Pueblo and Rio Lindo, so the name on the front of the package is not the reliable marker. The manufacturer permit number 24-128 is. Any soft cheese or cheddar at home carrying that number should not be eaten.
The laboratory evidence closed the case: Listeria found in six product samples of requesón and in environmental samples from the facility matched the outbreak strain through whole genome sequencing. Listeria is especially dangerous for pregnant women, older adults and people with weakened immune systems, which is why the refrigerator check is still worth doing after the investigation has closed. (Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：加工切达奶酪条与美式奶酪包装（资料图）。Clover Hill Dairy 扩大召回覆盖其工厂生产的全部奶酪，切达在列。Wikimedia Commons 图片。 / Photo: Processed cheddar cheese sticks and packaged American cheese (file photo). Clover Hill Dairy's expanded recall covered every cheese made at its facility, cheddar included. Image via Wikimedia Commons.
