Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Listeria,Our Blog,Outbreaks & Recalls on June 9, 2026
Have you recently consumed Clover Hill Dairy requeson (ricotta-style) cheese? If so, now is a good time to look at the label. A voluntary recall has been initiated after the dairy product was linked to a deadly Listeria outbreak spanning several years.
At least one death and other hospitalizations have been associated with the outbreak.
How was the problem discovered? Which products are included in the recall? What is Listeria and how do you know if you have it? Do you know what to do if you get sick?
Here’s what we know so far about the Clover Hill Dairy Listeria outbreak!
Clover Hill Dairy ricotta cheese is at the center of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Listeria outbreak investigation. According to the FDA, this outbreak spans several years.
The earliest reported date of illness onset was March 6, 2023. Reports indicate that the most recent statistics show the most recent illness onset date of May 9, 2026. However, there could be others. It can take several weeks between a person being exposed to contaminated food to becoming sick enough to seek medical attention and get tested for Listeria and then the connection made to others sickened with the same erm.
Eight people have been connected to this outbreak across three states. Seven were hospitalized and one person died.
Of the seven people interviewed, five people reported eating cheese. Two (29%) remembered eating Clover Hill Dairy requeson cheese.
While previous cases date back to 2023, headway was not made in the outbreak investigation until May 13, 2026. Two people from the same family were sick with related Listeria monocytogenes illnesses in Suffolk County.
When this information was revealed, the Suffolk County Health Department ran the information up the chain, as it is listed as a mandatory reportable illness. The County Health Department notified the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, which prompted an investigation.
The family was able to point investigators in the direction of the local retailer in Brentwood, New York where they purchased the cheese.
Five cheese samples were collected from that retailer and tested.
One sample of the Clover Hill Dairy requeson cheese that was repacked by the retailer tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Genetic analysis confirmed the strain found in the cheese was a match to the two New York illnesses.
Following this confirmation, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets conducted a site visit of the retailer’s cheese distributor. Clover Hill Dairy, LL of Mechanicsville, Maryland was confirmed as the manufacturer.
Samples from an unopened 18-pound bucket of the soft cheese were obtained. Results indicated the presence of Listeria monocytogenes. Genetic testing is underway to determine if it is a match to patient samples.
Additional sampling activities are in progress, however, Health Officials indicate that “at this time, there is not enough evidence to determine if the recalled cheese can explain the entire outbreak.” Further testing by FDA and state partners are still underway.
In response to this discovery, Clover Hill Dairy issued a voluntary recall for all requeson cheese manufactured by the company. Including flavored varieties such as jalapeno.
Recalled product was distributed directly from their retail market in Mayland, at local farmers markets, and through third party distributors, such as those in New York and Virginia.
Affected product should include a label identifying Clover Hill Dairy as the manufacturer and include the manufacturer (or plant) permit number 24-128. If the product has been repackaged, check with the point of sale to confirm the original manufacturer before consuming the product.
“Consumers and retailers should not eat, serve, or sell recalled requeson cheese.”
In response to the results of product sampling, human illnesses, and the ongoing Listeria outbreak investigation, the Maryland Department of Health has suspended Clover Hill Dairy LLC’s operating license.
Clover Hill Dairy’s Mechanicsville, Maryland facility must cease the sale of all products as the Department evaluates the situation.
The Maryland Department of Health describes Listeria monocytogenes as “a type of disease-causing bacteria, part of the Listeria family, that can grow in unsanitary food production conditions, leading to contamination of the food.
This germ is especially dangerous because refrigeration does not slow it down. It can continue to grow to infectious numbers, even under refrigeration conditions.
Those who are pregnant risk serious pregnancy complications such as still birth, premature delivery, miscarriage, and life-threatening infection in the newborn. Those who are not pregnant risk a high mortality rate. Listeria kills one in every 20 non-pregnant people sickened with the germ.
Fortunately, not everyone who is exposed will become sick. Certain people, however, are more likely to become sick if exposed and experience more serious complications if infected.
These high-risk groups include:
Listeria bacteria pose additional concern due to their complicated range of symptoms. It affects people who are pregnant differently than those who are not. Each with their own significant complications.
Since Listeria infections generally cause intestinal illness, let us begin there.
One of the most common symptom profiles of Listeria illness involves intestinal illness. Intestinal illness occurs when the bacteria affect the digestive system.
Common symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea beginning within 24 hours of consuming something contaminated with Listeria bacteria. These symptoms are often resolved within three days.
Most people with intestinal Listeria illness do not require medical intervention or antibiotic treatment. Plenty of rest, fluids, and treating the symptoms is your best bet.
Intestinal Listeria illness can evolve to a more invasive illness. This is where things diverge in pregnant and non-pregnant people.
Listeria bacteria cause invasive illness when they leave the digestive system and enter other parts of the body. Invasive listeriosis affects pregnant people and non-pregnant people in different ways. For both categories, invasive illness symptoms usually begin about two weeks after exposure.
While personal symptoms of invasive listeriosis are milder in pregnant people, the impact on the pregnancy poses potentially serious consequences. Someone who is pregnant and experiencing invasive listeriosis may have fever, fatigue, and muscle aches. However, listeriosis during pregnancy can lead to still birth, premature delivery, miscarriage, or life-threatening infection in the newborn.
Those who are not pregnant have a higher risk of serious illness or death. Invasive listeriosis in non-pregnant people often includes headaches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. Some may also experience fever and/or muscle aches. This infection can be serious or even life-threatening.
If you have consumed soft ricotta cheese, requeson, or Clover Hill Dairy products and experienced illness consistent with listeriosis or become sick with a Listeria infection, you may have been impacted by outbreak.
There are a few things you can do to help your situation.
If you have become sick from eating Clover Hill Dairy products, get medical help right away. Even mild illnesses can escalate to dangerous or life-threatening infections. In addition to getting the help you need, reporting your illness can help others.
Unreported illnesses are not included in outbreak statistics. If your illness is part of a larger outbreak, your information and food diary can help narrow or expand the scope of a recall. An action that can help reduce the risk of spreading the outbreak to others. Others who may be more vulnerable to life-threatening complications.
As soon as you feel well enough, make a list of the foods you have eaten. Include as much detail as possible. The specific brands. Where did you get it? Where did you eat it? Was it at home, take home, or did you dine out? Are there others who may have consumed the same food? This information is important to outbreak investigators and can help them find other potential food sources responsible for the outbreak.
Medical bills, lost work, and other burdens associated with foodborne illnesses like Listeria add up. Who is responsible for those bills? What can you do? What are your rights?
All of these questions can be answered by an experienced Listeria Lawyer. Reach out to a Listeria Lawyer for advice as soon as possible.
If you have fallen sick with a Listeria infection, you may be eligible for legal compensation.
The Lange Law Firm, PLLC has helped many families with cases just like yours, help hold accountable those responsible for foodborne illnesses. When a company becomes negligent, people become sick.
Call (833) 330-3663 or submit your information on the online submission form for a free consultation.
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)