FDA Notice: 800,000 Cream Cheese Units Recalled Across the US Over Salmonella

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in White Oak, Md., on June 5, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

A dairy company recalled more than 800,000 units of cream cheese products due to potential salmonella contamination, according to an alert sent out by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The Wisconsin-based company, Schreiber Foods Inc., said it is recalling 836,721 units of various cream cheese products due to a possible salmonella contamination, the FDA said in an enforcement report.

The affected cream cheese products were distributed and sold by several food retailers, including major ones including Hy Vee, Kroger, and Piggly Wiggly. Others that sold the products include  Dutch Farms, Fareway, Happy Farms, Our Family, Schnuck, Essential Everyday, and Dunkin, according to the brief FDA notice.

The FDA classified the recalls as Class II, which are issued on products that “may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote,” the agency says.

Salmonella Symptoms

Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause vomiting, nausea, fever, diarrhea, and stomach pain. Most people recover from an infection without any treatment within a week.

An infection can become more severe in infants and young children, individuals aged 65 and older, those with weakened immune systems, and people taking certain medications, including those that reduce stomach acidity.

In rare cases, salmonella can infect the blood, joints, nervous system, the brain or spinal fluid, and the urinary tract. Such complications can lead to death or hospitalization.

“Some people with salmonella infection develop pain in their joints, called reactive arthritis, after the infection has ended. Reactive arthritis can last for months or years and can be difficult to treat. Some people with reactive arthritis develop irritation of the eyes and pain when urinating,” says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s website.

Other Salmonella Recalls

It comes as the CDC said that cucumbers contaminated with salmonella bacteria might be responsible for an outbreak across 25 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. that left dozens of people hospitalized.

Testing detected salmonella in a cucumber distributed by Fresh Start Produce, a Florida company that last week recalled whole cucumbers shipped to certain states from May 17 to May 21, according to the CDC. Further testing is underway to see if that strain of salmonella is causing the outbreak. The produce should no longer be available in stores.

In a notice posted on Wednesday, 162 illnesses have been reported across 25 states. Of that figure, 54 have been hospitalized, the CDC said.

“Epidemiologic data show that cucumbers may be contaminated with salmonella and may be making people sick. Testing identified Salmonella in a cucumber collected as part of this investigation, which resulted in a recall,” the federal health agency said.

More testing is now being done, the CDC added, to see if it is the same salmonella strain that’s causing people to get sick. An investigation is currently underway, it said.

The Florida-grown recalled cucumbers were shipped to 14 states last month: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. But those cucumbers should no longer be in any stores, according to the CDC.

A notice published by the FDA said that Fresh Start initiated the recall after the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture reported that it found that a cucumber sample tested positive for salmonella.

Consumers should not eat recalled cucumbers. People who bought cucumbers recently should check with the store where they purchased them to see if they’re part of the recall. Wash items and surfaces that may have been in contact with the produce using hot, soapy water or a dishwasher.

A separate recent FDA alert, meanwhile, said that black pepper sold nationwide was recalled due to a salmonella risk. UBC Food Distributors of Dearborn, Michigan, recalled the containers Baraka Ground Black Pepper distributed U.S.-wide.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.