The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall of Bio Busti brand Pecorino Stagionato cheese for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The cheese was distributed in Marchés Tau locations in Quebec. No illnesses have been reported to public health officials in relation to this recall.
The recalled product is Bio Busti Pecorino Stagionato cheese made with raw milk. It was sold in various sized packages. There is no UPC number on the cheese. The locations were it was sold were Marchés Tau at 1325 Boul. Michèle-Bohec, Blainville, Quebec from January 4 to January 14, 2019, inclusive, and 7373 Boul. Langelier, Saint-Léonard, Quebec from January 8 to January 14, 2019, inclusive.
If you purchased this cheese, do not eat it, even if you plan to cook with it. Throw the cheese away after wrapping it well and putting it into a secure garbage can. You can also take it back to the place of purchase.
You should then clean out your refrigerator, or wherever you stored the cheese, with a solution of 1 tablespoon liquid chlorine bleach to 1 gallon of warm water to kill any bacteria. Listeria can become persistent once it’s introduced into an environment. Wash your hands well with soap and water after cleaning and after handling the cheese.
Symptoms of listeriosis, the illness caused by this pathogen, can take up to 70 days to appear. Those symptoms include severe headache, neck stiffness, high fever, muscle aches, vomiting, and diarrhea. Pregnant women may only be mildly sick, but listeriosis can cause miscarriage and stillbirth.
The CFIA is monitoring this recall. They are making sure that all of this product has been removed from the marketplace.
