--- title: Rizo-López Foods recalls cheese after deadly Listeria Outbreak date: 2024-02-06T12:42:00-08:00 author: Julie Dueck canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/rizo-lópez-foods-recalls-cheese-after-deadly-listeria-outbreak" section: Litigation Landing Pages --- [Foodborne Illnesses](/foodborne-illnesses) / [Listeria](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria) / # Rizo-López Foods recalls cheese after deadly Listeria Outbreak As of February 6, 2024, a total of 26 people infected with the outbreak strain of *Listeria* have been reported from 11 states: Arizona 4, California 8, Colorado 4, Florida 1, Georgia 1, Nevada 1, North Carolina 1, Oregon 1, Tennessee 2, Texas 2, Washington 1. Two deaths have been reported, one from California and one from Texas. ![](https://www.marlerblog.com/files/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-06-at-10.50.04%E2%80%AFAM-640x348.png)Illnesses started on dates ranging from June 15, 2014, to December 10, 2023. Of 26 people with information available, 23 have been hospitalized. ![](https://www.marlerblog.com/files/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-06-at-10.50.21%E2%80%AFAM-640x338.png)Among people who are pregnant, *Listeria* can cause pregnancy loss, premature birth, or a life-threatening infection in their newborn. In this outbreak, two people got sick during their pregnancy and one person had a pregnancy loss. There are also two newborns in the case count for this outbreak because *Listeria* can be passed to newborns during pregnancy. State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate in the month before they got sick. Of the 22 people interviewed, 16 (73%) reported eating queso fresco, cotija, or other similar cheeses. Among people who remembered specific brands, three people who got sick between 2014 and 2022 reported Don Francisco brand queso fresco or cotija. Don Francisco is one of the brands of recalled cheeses. Public health investigators are using the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may be part of this outbreak. CDC PulseNet manages a national database of DNA fingerprints of bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses. DNA fingerprinting is performed on bacteria using a method called whole genome sequencing (WGS). WGS showed that bacteria from sick people’s samples from 2014 to present are closely related genetically. This suggests that people in this outbreak got sick from the same food. In January 2024, the Hawaii State Department of Health’s Food and Drug Branch collected a sample of aged cotija cheese product made by Rizo-López Foods during routine sampling. Testing identified the outbreak strain of *Listeria* in the product. FDA conducted inspections at the Rizo-López Foods facility and collected food and environmental samples for testing. FDA found the outbreak strain of *Listeria* on a container where cheeses are kept before they are packaged. On January 11, 2024, Rizo-López Foods, Inc. [recalled](https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/rizo-lopez-foods-inc-recalls-aged-cotija-mexican-grating-cheese-8oz-because-possible-health-risk) the aged cotija cheese product after Hawaii state officials found *Listeria* in it. On February 6, 2024, Rizo-López Foods, Inc. [recalled](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rizo-lopez-foods-inc-voluntarily-recalls-dairy-products-because-of-possible-health-risk-302053958.html) all cheese and other dairy products made in their facility. They have also temporarily stopped producing and distributing these products while their investigation is ongoing. - Campesino - Casa Cardenas - Don Francisco - Dos Ranchitos - El Huache - Food City - La Ordena - Rio Grande - Rizo Bros - San Carlos - Santa Maria - Tio Francisco - 365 Whole Foods Market ![](https://www.marlerblog.com/files/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-06-at-12.35.42%E2%80%AFPM-640x358.png)**Listeria:** [Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm](http://www.marlerclark.com/), is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of [Listeria](https://about-listeria.com/) outbreaks. The [Listeria lawyers of Marler Clark](https://marlerclark.com/food-litigation/listeria-outbreak-litigation) have represented thousands of victims of [Listeria](https://about-listeria.com/) and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $850 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation. Our [Listeria](https://about-listeria.com/) lawyers have litigated [Listeria](https://about-listeria.com/) cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of foods, such as lettuce, polony, deli meat, cantaloupe, cheese, celery and milk. If you or a family member became ill with a [Listeria](http://www.about-listeria.com/) infection after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark [Listeria](http://www.about-listeria.com/) attorneys for a free case evaluation. **Additional Resources:** - [About Listeria - a complete online resource for Listeria information](http://www.about-listeria.com/) - [Family Health Guide About Listeria infection, or Listeriosis (pdf)](http://www.marlerclark.com/pdfs/ListeriaFINALbrochure.pdf) - [Listeria News](http://www.listeriablog.com/) - [Listeria Lawsuits](https://listerialitigation.com/) ### Listeria outbreaks and recalls August 23, 2023 ###### [Listeria outbreak: Three die after drinking contaminated milkshakes](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/listeria-outbreak-three-die-after-drinking-contaminated-milkshakes) Three people have died, and three others are in hospital after drinking milkshakes contaminated with listeria bacteria in the US state of Washington, health officials … July 12, 2023 ###### [2011 Listeria outbreaks linked to cantaloupes: A history](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/2011-listeria-outbreak-linked-to-cantaloupes-a-history) A total of 148 persons infected with any of the five outbreak-associated strains of Listeria monocytogenes were reported to the CDC from 28 states. The … May 20, 2023 ###### [A quick look at the 2018 Hepatitis A outbreak](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/a-quick-look-at-the-2018-hepatitis-a-outbreak) Litigation proceeded in a Virginia state court against Tropical Smoothie and the strawberry supply chain. 134 people with Hepatitis A were reported from nine states … [1. View all ](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/outbreaks) ## All Listeria Resources [###### Listeria Food Poisoning ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/about-listeria) [###### The Incidence of Listeria Infections ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/the-incidence-of-listeria-infections) [###### The Prevalence of Listeria in Food and the Environment ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/listeria-prevalence) [###### Transmission of and Infection with Listeria ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/transmission-of-and-infection-with-listeria) [###### Who is Most at Risk of Becoming Ill with Listeria? ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/who-is-most-at-risk-for-becoming-ill-with-listeria) [###### What Are the Symptoms of Listeria Infection? ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/listeria-symptoms-risks) [###### Complications of Listeria Infection ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/complications-of-listeria-infection) [###### How is Listeria Infection Diagnosed? ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/listeria-diagnosis) [###### Treatment for Listeria Infection ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/listeria-treatment) [###### Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacteria ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/antimicrobial-resistance-in-bacteria) [###### The Economic Impact of Listeria Infections ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/the-economic-impact-of-listeria-infections) [###### Preventing Listeria Infection ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/listeria-prevention) [###### Listeria References ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/listeria-references) ### Other foodborne illnesses [E. coli](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli) [Salmonella](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/salmonella) [Listeria](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria) [Hepatitis A](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/hepatitis-a) [Reactive Arthritis](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/reactive-arthritis) [Guillain-Barre Syndrome](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/guillain-barre-syndrome) [Irritable Bowel Syndrome](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/irritable-bowel-syndrome) [Norovirus](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/norovirus) [Botulism](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/botulism) [Campylobacter](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/campylobacter) [Shigella](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/shigella) [Cyclospora](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/cyclospora) [Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/hemolytic-uremic-syndrome)