In a recent development, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has sounded alarms over a nationwide listeria outbreak tied to products from Rizo-López Foods Inc., a Modesto-based dairy company. The outbreak has tragically resulted in the loss of two lives and has led to 23 hospitalizations across 11 states.
The CDC’s investigation has pinpointed queso fresco and cotija cheeses manufactured by Rizo-López Foods as the source of the outbreak, with reported illnesses spanning from June 15, 2014, to December 10, 2023. Notably, one death occurred in Texas, while another was reported in California.
This recent outbreak follows previous investigations conducted by the CDC in 2017 and 2021, which highlighted the potential risk of listeria contamination in similar cheese products. However, specific brands were challenging to identify in those instances. Renewed scrutiny was prompted last month when the CDC detected the outbreak strain in a cheese sample sourced from Rizo-López Foods.