A federal court has entered into a consent decree with Rizo Lopez Foods Inc. regarding a deadly Listeria outbreak traced to its cheeses. The U.
S. District Court for the Eastern District of California entered a permanent injunction against the company, prohibiting it from manufacturing and selling certain food products until it complies with federal law. The consent decree comes after the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigated a multi-year, multi-state outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections ultimately traced to queso fresco and cotija cheeses manufactured by Rizo Lopez Foods of Modesto, CA.
In total, the CDC outbreak investigation identified 26 patients who were spread across 11 states and included 23 hospitalizations. Two of the patients died. Four individuals were pregnant, including one who suffered a pregnancy loss.
In January this year, the Hawaii State Department of Health’s Food and Drug Branch collected a retail sample of the defendants’ Aged Cotija Mexican Grating Cheese, and the sample tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Whole-genome sequencing of the pathogen in the cheese sample matched previous clinical illnesses identified by the CDC. The FDA inspected the Rizo Lopez facility from January to February 2024, and the FDA subsequently identified the same strain of Listeria monocytogenes in the facility’s environment.
In February 2024, Rizo Lopez Foods voluntarily recalled its entire inventory .
