The Recall Desk
SevereFDA (Food)·F-0798-2013·Announced 2012-12-12

Tomales Bay Foods Recalls Shepherd's Way Big Woods Blue Cheese

Tomales Bay Foods is recalling specific lots of Shepherd's Way Big Woods Blue cheese due to the presence of Listeria monocytogenes detected by the California Department of Agriculture.

What this means for you

Illness, injury, or structural failure has been reported. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The agency classification is FDA Class I, which mandates a severity score of at least 4 per the rubric. Additionally, the presence of Listeria monocytogenes is a high-risk pathogen.

Plain-English summary

Tomales Bay Foods, Inc. is voluntarily recalling approximately 31.9 pounds of Shepherd's Way Big Woods Blue cheese. The product is cut and packaged by Tomales Bay Foods in Petaluma, California. The cheese is wrapped in cheese paper with the type of cheese marked with a magic marker and a Tomales Bay Foods sticker applied.

The recall was initiated after the State of California Department of Agriculture sampled finished product and found Listeria monocytogenes in Pondhopper cheese. The source text does not specify if the Listeria was found in the Shepherd's Way Big Woods Blue cheese itself or if the detection in Pondhopper cheese triggered a precautionary recall of the Blue cheese, but the recall notice links the two events. Affected product has pack dates of 6/28 and after, and make dates ranging from 7/19/11 to 7/27/11.

Distribution of the recalled product occurred in two parts. Part One included California, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, Oregon, Utah, and international locations including Italy, Spain, Switzerland, France, Holland, and Greece. Part Two distribution occurred between June 25, 2012, and July 27, 2012, in California, North Carolina, and Florida. Consumers should check their pantries for this specific product and dispose of it or return it to the place of purchase.

The recalled product

Product
Shepherd's Way Big Woods Blue cut wrapped in cheese paper with with type of cheese marked with magic marker and a Tomales Bay Foods sticker applied. Product is cut and packaged by Tomales Bay Foods, Petaluma, CA
Hazard

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Lot numbers (2)

  • Pack Dates of 6/28 and after
  • Make date of 7/19/11 to 7/27/11

Distribution

Distributed in 8 states:

Part of a larger recall action

This product is one of 3 recalled by Tomales Bay Foods, Inc. under a single FDA (Food) recall action. The agency files each product separately, so the size of the action is not visible from this page alone.

See all 3 products in this recall →