Highest risk U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese St. Jerome cheese recall: Potential Foodborne Illness - Listeria monocytogenes

Recall published 2+ years ago

Potential Foodborne Illness - Listeria monocytogenes

Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese Dairy — recalled dairy
Photo published by U.S. Food and Drug Administration with the recall notice.

The hazard: Listeria contamination

Listeria is the reason this product was pulled, and it is the one food hazard where "it is still in date and it smells fine" tells you nothing at all.

What the notice says: Jerome cheese, batch 231129, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes , an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

Why it matters: Listeria monocytogenes is unusual among foodborne bacteria because it keeps growing at refrigerator temperature. A contaminated pack does not become safer for sitting in the cold, and it will look, smell and taste completely normal.

Symptoms and when to call a doctor

Listeriosis is mild or silent in most healthy adults, but it is serious for pregnant people, newborns, adults over 65 and anyone whose immune system is suppressed. The CDC describes intestinal illness as diarrhoea and vomiting, and invasive illness as fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance or convulsions. In pregnancy it can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or infection in the newborn even when the parent feels only mildly unwell. Symptoms can start within a day or not appear for weeks, so tell any doctor you see that you ate a recalled product and give them the date.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you feel unwell, a clinician who can see you is the only person able to judge your case.

Recall details

Published
July 24, 2024
Risk level
Highest risk
Issued by
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Brand
Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese
Product type
Dairy
Reports of harm
No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this recalled lot.

Products covered by this recall

St. Jerome cheese

What the company announced

Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese of Austin, Ky is recalling St. Jerome cheese, batch 231129, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes , an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

The recalled St. Jerome cheese was distributed via wholesale customers, retail storefront, and through Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese website https://kennyscheese.com .

The cheese has been distributed in two sizes, an 8-ounce wedge in a clear plastic package, and a full 15-pound wheel in a clear plastic package, marked with a logo sticker with ingredients listed on the top and with the lot number 231129 on a white label on the side.

No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this recalled lot.

The potential for contamination was noted after routine testing by the Kentucky Department of Public Health revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in a package of St. Jerome batch 231129.

The production of the product has been suspended while the FDA and the company continue to investigate the source of the problem.

Consumers who have purchased should not consume the product and are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund or dispose of the product. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-270-434-4124 or email [email protected] from Monday through Friday, 8:00AM-4:00PM.

Reproduced from the company announcement posted on fda.gov. Links and contact forms in the original are not repeated here; the official notice below has them.

Check your product

The notice names 3 codes you can read straight off the package. Type the one printed on yours and the list below narrows to it.

Lot or batch code

Usually ink-stamped near the seam, the cap or the bottom of the pack.

  • 231129

Package size

Match the net weight or the piece count on the front of the pack.

  • 8 ounce
  • 15 pound

Codes are lifted verbatim from the FDA — Company recall announcements notice. A code that is missing here may still be covered — the official notice is the complete list.

What to do about Listeria

Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese — Listeria is the reason this product was pulled, and it is the one food hazard where "it is still in date and it smells fine" tells you nothing at all.

  1. Do not eat it and do not open a sealed pack to inspect it — opening it only spreads the bacteria around your kitchen.
  2. Photograph the label, the lot code and the date mark before the pack leaves the house — that picture is what a refund claim runs on.
  3. Throw it out in a sealed bag, or return it to the store. Either is accepted; what matters is that nobody else eats it.
  4. Wash and then sanitise anything the food touched: the fridge shelf and drawer, chopping boards, knives, counters and your hands. Listeria colonises cold surfaces and can survive there after the food is gone.

How to get your money back

Food recalls carry a full refund, and in the United States you usually do not need the receipt or the packaging.

  • Take the product, or your photo of the label, to the customer service desk of the store where you bought it. Nearly every national grocer refunds recalled food on the spot.
  • Bought it online? Open the order in your account and use the refund option; marketplace sellers are required to honour a federal recall.
  • If the store refuses, contact the recalling company using the details on this page. The firm, not the shop, carries the cost of a recall.
  • If you have a loyalty card, the retailer can look the purchase up in your history — Kroger, Costco and Walmart all do this routinely.

Remedy named in the notice: Consumers who have purchased should not consume the product and are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund or dispose of the product.

Company contact: Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese — Consumers: Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese, 1-270-434-4124, [email protected]

The official notice

This page summarises a notice published by U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The agency notice is the authoritative version — read it before you act, and treat it as the final word if anything here looks different.

Open the FDA — Company recall announcements record U.S. Food and Drug Administration recalls

Questions people ask about this recall

Why was Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese dairy recalled?

Potential Foodborne Illness - Listeria monocytogenes Jerome cheese, batch 231129, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes , an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

How do I know if I have the recalled product?

Match the codes printed on your package against the notice: lot code 231129. If the code on your package is not on that list, your unit is outside the recall.

What should I do with it right now?

Do not eat it and do not open a sealed pack to inspect it — opening it only spreads the bacteria around your kitchen.

Can I get my money back?

The notice says: Consumers who have purchased should not consume the product and are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund or dispose of the product.

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