Whole Foods, Other Retailers Recall Cheese Linked to Man's Death

This post was originally published at 5:15 p.m., July 5, 2013. The headline has been edited for clarity.

Whole Foods, with local stores in Redmond and Bellevue, is among several retailers recalling a Wisconsin-made cheese after five people in four states were infected with the same strain of Listeria monocytogenes. One of those infected, an elderly Minnesota man, died.

An investigation by the Centers for Disease Control suggests that Les Frères, Petit Frère, and Petit Frère with Truffles cheeses made by Wisconsin’s Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese Company are the likely nationwide sources of the deadly outbreak.

In Washington state, Les Frères Crave Brothers was the variety recalled by local Whole Foods stores.

Crave Brothers recalled the cheese products on July 3. The company is located in Waterloo, WI.

Consumers who purchased any of the recalled cheeses should not eat them and should throw away any remaining cheeses, according to CDC. It said the warning is especially important for pregnant women, older adults, and persons with weakened immune systems, who are at the highest risk for infection and serious outcomes.