The Recall Desk
Agency classClass IOur severity:CriticalFDA (Food)·F-2468-2016·Announced 2016-10-05

Grassfields Cheese Recalls Organic Raw Milk Cheese for E. coli Risk

Grassfields Cheese, LLC is recalling organic raw milk cheese due to potential contamination with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC).

The agency’s classification

FDA (Food): Class I

Class I is a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.

This is the agency’s own classification, taken from its notice. The severity score below is our assessment, not the agency’s. How recall classes work

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 5/5 (Critical).

Highest-severity recall. The hazard can cause serious injury or death. Stop using the product now and follow the agency's instructions.

Our severity reasoning: The agency classification is FDA Class I, and the source text explicitly states that some individuals with HUS may die, meeting the criteria for a Critical severity score.

Plain-English summary

Grassfields Cheese, LLC is voluntarily recalling approximately 2,250 pounds of organic raw milk cheese, including 12-pound wheels, 6-pound half wheels, and various wedges. The product was distributed in Michigan, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Connecticut, New York, Colorado, Washington, Tennessee, and Ohio. The recall includes all product on the market with a manufacturing date prior to August 1, 2016.

The recall is being conducted because the cheese may be contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), a bacteria that can cause serious illness in humans. Symptoms of E. coli infection often include severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea, and vomiting. In some cases, the infection can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a potentially life-threatening complication that affects the kidneys.

Consumers who purchased this product should stop using it immediately. The source text does not specify a particular return location or refund process, but consumers are advised to dispose of the product or return it to the place of purchase.

The recalled product

Product
Fait Fras 12 pound wheels, Six pound half wheels, and wedges of various sizes ranging from less than 12 pounds to 1/3 pound. Wheels and half wheels are sold packaged in cheese paper and wedges are sold packaged in clear plastic cryovac. Refrigerated, Organic raw milk…

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 (1)

  • All product on market. Any manuafcturing date prior to 8.1.16

Distribution

Distributed in 10 states:

Part of a larger recall action

This product is one of 10 recalled by Grassfields Cheese, LLC 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 10 products in this recall →

Similar recalls