Purge your fridge now: BeiHollow cheese recalled for possible listeria contamination

Just as you checked your fridge and tossed chicken products from Perdue and deli meats from Boar's Head for possible life-threatening contamination, you will need to again purge your ice box, this time of cheese from BeiHollow Farm.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture issued the recall due to a possible listeria contamination .

Here is the cheese you need to throw away right now.

Which cheese is on the recall list?

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture placed BeiHollow Farm brand raw milk cheddar cheese on the recall list after a test of a randomly purchased cheese products revealed the contamination, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's recall notice .

"Routine testing for pathogens in two retail packages purchased by the department confirmed that the cheese was contaminated with listeria monocytogenes bacteria," read the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's BeiHollow Farm recall notice. "The cheese was distributed by BeiHollow Farm, 314 Chubb Road, in Elizabethville, Dauphin County.

"The contaminated cheese was sold at Racoon Valley Farm, 593 Racoon Valley Road, in Millerstown, Perry County," continued the alert. "Other locations where the product was sold are unknown."

Published reports indicate that this isn't the first recall of BeiHollow products, as the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture also issued warnings in 2022 for customers to discard BeiHollow cheeses.

What is listeria monocytogenes bacteria?

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's recall alert, listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an illness which has symptoms including aches, diarrhea, fever and nausea.

"Listeriosis mainly affects pregnant women, newborns, the elderly, and adults with impaired immune systems," read the agriculture department's recall alert. "Listeriosis in pregnant women can result in miscarriage, premature delivery, serious infection of the newborn, or stillbirth."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that listeria can contaminate most foods , and are likely spread in food processing facilities .

Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic Region.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Purge your fridge now: BeiHollow cheese recalled for possible listeria contamination