FDA Class I recall: Listeria in cheese curd, quantity recorded as unknown, and the same product on other brands (Clover Hill Dairy)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration classified Clover Hill Dairy's mild cheese variety (Fresh Cheddar Curd) as Class I — its most serious category — for contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. It was sold in roughly 0.75-lb and 1.5-lb boxes and distributed to Maryland, Virginia, and New York. The record states that packaging, labeling, and the total quantity distributed are unknown. The same firm's product was also recalled under other brands.
Recall overview (primary data)
- ClassificationClass I (most serious)
- Product typeFood
- Recalling firmClover Hill Dairy, LLC
- ReasonProduct contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
- DistributionMD, VA, NY
- Recall initiated2026-06-01
Key points
- Recall number H-1208-2026; FDA Class I, the most serious category; status Ongoing.
- The product is Clover Hill Dairy Fresh Cheddar Curd in roughly 0.75-lb and 1.5-lb boxes, kept refrigerated.
- The reason is contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, a pathogen that grows at refrigerator temperature and is severe for pregnant women, newborns, older adults, and the immunocompromised.
- Packaging, labeling, and total quantity distributed are recorded as unknown. Distribution covers Maryland, Virginia, and New York.
- Our collection holds 18 enforcement records naming this firm; La Colonia Foods separately recalled four products repackaging its bulk product.
- Of the 1,408 FDA recall records this site holds as of 2026-09-01, 149 leave the quantity empty or unknown (18 of 341 among food).
1What sets Listeria apart from other foodborne pathogens
The difficulty with Listeria monocytogenes is that it grows at refrigerator temperature. Most foodborne pathogens stop multiplying in the cold; this one does not. That is why refrigerated ready-to-eat foods — soft cheeses, deli items, smoked salmon — appear again and again as vehicles. Refrigeration, the usual safeguard, does not work here, and that is the decisive difference.
The other feature is the population it harms. Healthy adults often experience only mild illness, while pregnant women, newborns, older adults, and people with weakened immunity can develop severe invasive infection. The incubation period is long, sometimes days to weeks, which makes tracing the source harder. That severity in specific groups is the background to the Class I classification.
2What "quantity unknown" means on the record
This enforcement record states plainly that the packaging, labeling, and total quantity distributed are unknown. That is an unusual thing to see in a recall record, and it directly limits what a consumer can do. The normal method — matching a lot number or a use-by date — is unavailable, leaving only where and when the product was bought.
3One firm's contamination reaching other brands' shelves
Within our collection, 18 enforcement records name Clover Hill Dairy as the recalling firm. Separately, La Colonia Foods recalled four products that repackaged Clover Hill bulk product under its own labels: two under "Selectos Latinos," one under "La Colonia Foods," and one bulk item in 18-lb buckets. What the buyer sees on the container is only the repackager's brand; the name "Clover Hill" appears nowhere.
4No quantity is recorded in 149 records
Of the 1,408 FDA recall records this site holds as of 2026-09-01, 149 leave the quantity field empty or record it as unknown. Among food alone that is 18 of 341.
Quantity is the only handle on the scale of a recall, yet it is not always settled when the filing is made. Where it is published as unknown, as here, it is not necessarily updated later. That one record in ten cannot speak to its own scale is a premise for any aggregation.
Why it matters
When bulk product is repackaged under other companies' brands, the name of the firm where contamination occurred appears nowhere on the finished package. The effectiveness of the recall then rests on whether each repackager issues a notice under its own brand and can trace where its product went. An inability to record packaging, labeling, and quantity also points to weak traceability in itself. For anyone handling refrigerated ready-to-eat foods, the granularity of shipping records carries the same weight as hygiene control.
FAQ
Why is Listeria dangerous even in the refrigerator?
Who is most at risk?
Can the product be identified if the quantity is unknown?
Sources (primary)
Source: openFDA (U.S. FDA, CC0 public domain). Data is provided as-is and must not be used for medical decisions. Verify the latest and exact details with the official FDA recall information. This site is not endorsed or certified by the U.S. FDA.
- FDA recall information (official)
- openFDA (data provider)
- Recall number: H-1208-2026