Two dead and dozens ill in listeria outbreak linked to cheese sold worldwide
Health officials have recalled potentially fatal soft cheese after two people died following a listeria outbreak. A further 21 people also became seriously ill in France, where the two victims also passed away, from eating bacteria-contaminated dairy between December 2024 and August 13 of this year. Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway have all also confirmed four cases of listeriosis between April 14 and July 9.
There are now fears that the infection could have spread to the UK, although no related cases have been reported at the time of writing. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) believe that pasteurised soft cow’s and goat’s milk cheeses produced by French manufacturer Chavegrand is possibly linked to the cases. The company has now recalled all batches of cheese produced before June 23, 2025.
The products – all soft cheeses made from pasteurized cow’s milk or goat’s milk – were marketed until August 9 in France as well as other countries, under different commercial brand names. They are identified by the health mark FR 23.117.001 – anyone who has bought this particular cheese has been warned not to eat it.
A spokesperson for the company said: “We have increased the number of tests on products and equipment by a factor of 100 to ensure there were no contaminants. All our employees, who have been working very hard since June, are stunned by this news.”
source: Mirror
