Hy-Vee recalls 8 products due to cheese-linked listeria outbreak

Hy-Vee is recalling gift baskets, cheese boards and other products sold in eight states as food safety officials work to stem a listeria outbreak that has sickened at least half a dozen people.

The West Des Moines, Iowa-based retailer is recalling eight products after being notified by Old Europe Cheese they may contain contaminated cheese.

The recall includes the following products with best-by dates from September 28 to December 14 that were sold at Hy-Vee grocery stores in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin:  

UPC                       Product

02-47309-00000    Cranberry Brie Torte (Brie Hostess)
02-47310-00000    Apricot Brie Torte (Brie Hostess)
02-47260-00000    Triple Crème Brie, Montamore Cheddar, and Aged Gouda Cheese Board 
02-45920-00000    Sparkling Fruit and Cheese Board 
02-46794-00000    La Bonne Vie Domestic Double Crème Brie (cut & wrapped)
02-46795-00000    La Bonne Vie French Double Crème Brie (cut & wrapped)
75450-12681         Bon Appetite Gift Basket  
75450-12588         Deluxe Delights Gift Basket

People who bought any of the products should throw them out or return them for a full refund, the company said. Those with questions can call toll-free at (800) 772-4098.

Hy-Vee operates more than 280 retail stores across eight Midwestern states. 

The grocer's recall comes three days after Brie and Camembert cheeses sold at retailers nationwide and in Mexico were being recalled due to a multistate listeria outbreak that has sickened six people and put five of them in the hospital, federal officials say.

Friday's recall by Benton Harbor, Michigan-based Old Europe Cheese involves all of its Brie and Camembert products with "best by" dates through December 14, 2022, the company stated in a notice posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (See here for a detailed list of the recalled products, which involve more than 20 brands.)

The recalled cheeses were sold at supermarkets from August 1, 2022, through September 28, 2022. Those retailers likely included Albertsons, Athenian Foods, Fresh Thyme, Giant Foods, Harding's, Lidl, Market Basket, Meijer, Price Chopper, Raley's, Safeway, Save Mart, Sprouts, Stop & Shop and Whole Foods, the company said. 

The FDA cautioned against eating any of the recalled cheeses in light of an outbreak of listeria infections in California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey and Texas. Of the five people who provided information to the FDA, four reported eating Brie or Camembert cheese before becoming ill, said the agency, which is investigating the outbreak along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Listeria infections can cause serious and sometimes fatal illness in young children, frail or elderly people, or others with weakened immune systems, according to the CDC. Healthy people may experience symptoms like high fever, severe headache and stomach pain. The organism can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths.

An estimated 1,600 Americans get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die, according to the CDC.