Today, the CDC is the one telling you to throw it out. That lands differently than a company notice. If you're just joining us: federal investigators have been looking at a June 2026 Listeria outbreak, with soft cheese as the category they're worried about. The question all along was how much the product list — and the distribution map — would grow as FDA and its public health partners traced the source. This is Food Recall Watch. Today, the CDC names Clover Hill — and the recall is live while the investigation is still open. So the catch is whether one fridge check is actually enough. From CDC:
CDC and public health officials in several states are investigating a multistate outbreak of Listeria infections linked to soft cheese. - Do not eat recalled cheese. If you have any of these recalled products in your home, throw them out or return them to the store. - CDC and FDA are working to identify any other products linked to this outbreak.
Update on the soft-cheese listeria investigation we opened yesterday — it's now a named recall: Clover Hill Dairy. And it's expanded to all of their cheese products. CDC still has the investigation open. Geography you asked for, Brian: North Carolina, New York, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Washington, DC. These were sold at their retail market, at farmers markets, and through other distributors — and CDC says they may have gone farther. There it is — six states, finally. And notice who's saying it: CDC, not a company release trying to soften the edges. The instruction is blunt — throw it out or return it. But here's the part that bugs me — recall issued, investigation still open. CDC and FDA say they're working to identify OTHER products. So if you checked your fridge yesterday, don't treat that as finished. The list can still grow. Right — and this goes beyond the requesón. They named cuajada, the soft ricotta with jalapeño, but also the cheddars, Monterey Jack, the snack packs. All of it. That's my whole problem. The agency whose job is tracking outbreaks knew Listeria in soft cheese is a repeat offender — and the main tool a shopper gets is still a notice after people are already sick. Why is the warning always the last step? If Food Recall Watch helps you keep up with what's changing, take a second to subscribe or leave a review wherever you're listening. It really helps other people find the show.
Links to every recall notice and source we covered today are in the show notes. If something hit your pantry, fridge, or shopping list, that's where you can take a closer look.
That's Food Recall Watch for today. This is a Lantern Podcast.