A cheese manufacturer has admitted introducing adulterated queso fresco into interstate commerce after its products were linked to a multistate Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that left at least 13 people hospitalized and one person dead, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Paterson-based Abuelito Cheese Inc., also known as El Abuelito Cheese, pleaded guilty on May 21 in Newark federal court to introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce. The company manufactured queso fresco, a soft fresh cheese, at its Paterson facility and distributed products within New Jersey and to nearby states.
Federal prosecutors said the company’s products were linked to a February 2021 outbreak of listeriosis across four states. On Feb. 19, 2021, Abuelito Cheese recalled all queso fresco products after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notified the company that Listeria monocytogenes found in its queso fresco was tied to the outbreak. The company later expanded the recall to include other products made at the same facility…