One cheese plant, eighteen recall records - Listeria and a quantity recorded as unknown (Clover Hill Dairy)
The U.S. FDA classified as Class I a recall of Clover Hill Dairy flavored cheese (Old Bay Cheddar). The reason is contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, and this site holds 18 recall records tied to the firm.
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
- The product is flavored cheese (Old Bay Cheddar), sold in units from half a pound to 40 pounds.
- The reason is contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, classified Class I.
- Listeria grows at refrigeration temperatures, making it a problem in refrigerated foods eaten without cooking.
- Packaging, labeling and total quantity are recorded as unknown; a blank quantity does not mean a small one.
- Of the FDA recall records this site holds as of 2026-09-02, 18 are tied to Clover Hill Dairy.
- Of the 25 records citing Listeria among 1,408, 18 belong to this one firm.
1Listeria and refrigerated food
Listeria monocytogenes can grow at refrigeration temperatures. Where most foodborne organisms grow poorly in the cold, this one multiplies inside a refrigerator, which is why it becomes a problem in refrigerated foods eaten without cooking - cheeses and processed meats in particular.
Severe outcomes are described in pregnancy, in older people and in those with weakened immunity, giving it the character of a danger concentrated in particular groups.
2One plant becomes eighteen records
The firm's records cover flavored cheese, smoked pepper cheese, soft cuajada, smoked cheddar and assorted mild cheese packs, each under a separate number. One problem at a plant puts everything leaving it under recall, but records are made per product, so the count of events and the count of records do not match.
Of the 25 records citing Listeria, 18 are tied to this one firm - a shape visible only when the records are bound by company name.
3What it means that the quantity is unknown
This record gives packaging, labeling and total quantity distributed all as unknown. A recall record writes what is known and leaves the rest marked unknown. Publishing with the quantity unresolved reads as prioritising the recall decision over settling the number, though the record does not state a reason. For a reader, the point is not to take a blank quantity field as meaning a small one.
Why it matters
Where a problem is found at plant level, the recall divides into as many records as there are products, and notification, retrieval and enquiry handling arise per product. Recall counts used as an indicator will misstate the scale of an event unless bound by company name. For refrigerated products eaten without cooking, environmental monitoring premised on an organism that grows in the cold, and records that follow bulk shipments to their destinations, are the basis of a response.
FAQ
Why is Listeria a problem in refrigerated food?
Why are there eighteen records for one firm?
What does a quantity of "unknown" mean?
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-1212-2026