Hicksville Company Recalls E. Coli-Tainted Cheese Products

HICKSVILLE, NY — A Hicksville dairy company has recalled cotija cheese products that were shipped to five states after Florida health officials detected a potentially deadly form of E. coli in retail samples. Quesos La Ricura recalled 12 ounce packages of Cotija Cheese (Queso Cotija) that could be tainted with Shiga toxin producing E. coli bacteria, the FDA said in a news release Friday.

The bacteria cause more than 265,000 illnesses every year in the United States, the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated. Sicknesses can range from mild diarrhea to bloody diarrhea and even a life-threatening form of kidney failure known as hemolytic uremic syndrome, a condition that affects the blood and blood vessels.

Most healthy adults who contract the illness can recover completely within a week, but some can develop kidney failure, mostly among young children and older adults. The condition can lead to serious kidney damage and even death.

Cotija Cheese (Queso Cotija) was shipped to retail stores in New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Florida, federal officials said. The product comes in a plastic wrapped yellow styrofoam container with a label reading "Quesos La Ricura Queso Cotija, Cotija Cheese aged over 60 days." it contains the UPC number 7 69087 00933 6 and weighs 12 ounces.

This information only applies to products with a "Sell By" date of May 20, 2020-3/ May 20, 2020-4.

No illnesses have been reported.

A voluntary recall was initiated after samples were taken by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Consumers who bought the cheese product should return it to the store where it was bought for a full refund. Anyone with questions can contact the company at 516-932-5756. The company operates Monday through Friday from 9 a.m to 3 p.m. Eastern Time.