A California cheese and dairy company has been ordered to halt production after a long-running listeria outbreak killed two people and sickened dozens more, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
According to an injunction approved Tuesday by the U.S. Eastern District Court, Rizzo Lopez Foods and its owners have ceased all operations related to food preparation and processing.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said evidence that emerged earlier this year linked Modesto-based Rizzo-Lopez’s products to an outbreak first discovered more than a decade ago in June 2014. The outbreak sickened at least 26 people in 11 states, resulting in 23 hospitalizations and two deaths, the agency said.
One fatal crash occurred in California in 2017, and another fatal crash occurred in Texas in 2020, the agency said. The CDC investigated outbreaks in 2017 and 2021, but did not have enough information to pinpoint a specific brand.
The CDC and Food and Drug Administration reopened the investigation in January after Hawaii officials detected Listeria monocytogenes in samples of Rizzo Bros. Aged Cotija. This led to a limited recall, which was carried out in February. Expanded to include We sell over 60 products nationwide.
“The Department of Justice and FDA continue to work closely together on enforcement actions against food manufacturers who fail to meet their obligations and endanger the health of their customers,” said Brian M. Boynton, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. said. Department, as stated in the news release.
Listeria monocytogenes is most likely to affect pregnant women, newborns, people over 65, and people with weakened immune systems, according to the CDC. Symptoms of the infection usually begin within two weeks of eating contaminated food and may include fever, muscle aches, nausea, fatigue, vomiting, and diarrhea. In more severe cases, symptoms may include headaches, stiff shoulders, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions.
