Possible Listeria Contamination Leads To Sargento Cheese, Taylor Farms Salad Recalls

Cheese is delicious. Salad with cheese is also delicious. But Listeria is not. For that reason, Sargento has recalled seven prepackaged cheese products and Taylor Farms has recalled 6,630 pounds of pork and chicken salad products that use the affected cheese.

Sargento — one of the largest cheesemakers in the U.S. — announced the recall over the weekend, after determining that some cheese products could potentially be contaminated with Listeria Monocytogene.

Taylor Farms soon followed suit after it was notified about Sargento’s recall.

The recall roundup began shortly after cheese supplier Deutsch Kase Haus informed Sargento that the speciality Longhorn Colby cheese supplied by the company must be recalled due to a potential contamination of listeria.

Both Sargento and Deutsch Kase Haus say they are unaware of any illnesses related to the possible listeria contamination.

The affected Longhorn Colby cheese was used in Sargento’s Ultra Thin Slicked Longhorn Colby cheese and in its Chef Blends Shredded Nacho & Taco Cheese products.

The packages can be identified by the following UPC and “sell by” dates:

• 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”

Out of an abundance of caution, Sargento says that it has recalled five additional products that were made on the same line as the affected cheese.

c4wuqqtwyai0ry6

Those products include, which can also be identified by UPC and “sell by” dates:

• 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”

Customers who purchased the recalled cheeses can contact Sargento at 1-800—Cheese (243-3737) to begin the refund process.

As for the salad recall, Taylor Farms says in a notice to the USDA that it was informed by Sargento on Friday of the potential listeria contamination of its Bevel Shred Pepperjack cheese.

While the cheese is being recalled out of an abundance of caution, Taylor Farms says it will recall 6,630 pounds of chicken and pork salad products made between Feb. 6 and Feb. 9.

The recalled products include:
• 10.5 oz. plastic trays of “Signature Cafe Southwest Chicken Premade Salad” with the following “USE BY” dates: “2/13/17, 2/14/17 or 2/15/17.”
• 10.5 oz. plastic trays of “Signature Café Southwest Style Salad with Chicken” with the following “USE BY” dates: “2/14/17, 2/15/17 or 2/16/17.”
• 10.5 oz. plastic trays of “H-E-B Shake Rattle & Bowl Rowdy Ranch Hand (contains pork)” with the following “USE BY” dates: “2/17/17, 2/18/17 or 2/19/17.”

Consumers who have purchased the products are urged not to consume them and the products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.