by John Gomez | Last Updated: February 16, 2017

Cheese is one of the most versatile foods in every American’s diet.  Cheese can be a part of just about any meal or snack.  Americans love cheese and consume it at an astounding rate.  As such, when danger arises with regards to any popular brand of cheese, that danger can threaten an enormous number of people.  Consumers need to be on alert right now, as a Sargento cheese recall has been initiated.  The defective products lawyers at Gomez Trial Attorneys would like to have as many people as possible spread the word.  People who consume this potentially tainted cheese could be exposed to listeria bacteria that can be gravely dangerous for some people.  Below you’ll find the details regarding the Sargento cheese recall.  Please tell people you know about this so that the risks faced by unsuspecting consumers can be minimized.

The Sargento Cheese Recall – The Specifics

Sargento announced its cheese recall earlier this week.  The recall affects seven of the company’s products.  These products include:

• 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”
• 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”

The company stated that the first two products on the list appear to be facing the highest risk of listeria contamination.  The other items were included in the cheese recall out of what Sargento called an “abundance of caution” as these products were packaged on the same assembly line as the first two items.  The reason for the cheese recall is that a supplier for Sargento, Deutsch Kase Haus, LLC, notified the company that its Longhorn Colby cheese may have been contaminated with these bacteria.  To date, no reports of consumers becoming ill exist.

The Sargento Cheese Recall – What To Do Next

Sargento has been out in front of this cheese recall with information and with options for consumers who may be affected by it.  Those who are unsure of whether or not they purchased cheese that’s part of the recall should go to the Sargento Web site and use its “search product” tool which can be found here.  From there, consumers should enter the product’s UPC number or sell by date to see if it is part of the cheese recall.  If you do not need to search for your product and you know that it is part of the cheese recall, you should call 800-243-3737 (800-243-CHEESES) so you can get the process of reimbursement started.  For more information, visit this page on the Sargento Web site.

About Sargento Cheese

Sargento Cheese is one of the biggest cheese manufacturers in the United States.  Its headquarters are in Plymouth, Wisconsin, but it has four locations across that state.  The company was founded in 1953 and has dominated the cheese market almost since that date.  According to current estimates, Sargento generates more than $1.7 billion in revenue every year with its wide array of cheeses and cheese-related products.

About Listeria and Listeriosis

Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can be found in certain contaminated foods.  Listeria is generally found in its natural form in soil, water and in some animals according to FoodSafety.gov.  Listeria is most often present in poultry and cattle and can survive in raw milk and food that has raw milk as an ingredient.  Listeria is only killed by cooking and by pasteurization, and it can survive in cold environments including food processing plants.

If someone consumes food that is contaminated with listeria, he or she can become extremely ill.  The incubation period for the infection known as listeriosis can be as long as 10 weeks after exposure the bacteria.  People who are generally healthy can become extremely ill for several days, but listeriosis is generally not fatal for these people.  However, people with weak immune systems, older people and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to this infection.  For these people, undetected listeriosis can be fatal in some situations.

Common symptoms of listeriosis include:

• Fever
• Muscle aches
• Diarrhea
• Nausea

These symptoms can easily be confused with a flu-like virus and dismissed as something that isn’t serious.  Mild flu-like symptoms are especially common for pregnant women with listeriosis.  This is part of what makes this infection so dangerous.  If the bacteria spread to the nervous system, the symptoms can include:

• Stiff neck
• Confusion
• Headache
• Loss of balance
• Convulsions

According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, approximately 260 people in the United States die because of exposure to listeria every year.  Listeriosis is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness among Americans.  The fatality rate for listeriosis is approximately 20 percent.  Almost 25 percent of cases involving pregnant women result in fetal death or a stillborn birth.

How Defective Products Lawyers Can Help

According to MarketPlace.org, Americans consume 34 pounds of cheese per capita per year.  The amount has risen steadily for approximately 20 years.  That means that when something goes wrong and a cheese recall is initiated by one of the biggest manufacturers in the industry, a lot of people could be at risk.  You need to make sure that you have not purchased any tainted cheese.  If you have and you’ve eaten it and you become ill, seek medical attention immediately.

If you or someone you love has been harmed because of this cheese recall or because of any other product, you also need to seek the help of defective products lawyers who have been holding corporations accountable for harm inflicted on consumers for more than a decade.  Contact Gomez Trial Attorneys as soon as possible for a free case evaluation.

 

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