One day after this very website advised you to only buy grating cheese by the block, Whole Foods has issued a recall for just that very type of cheese. Samples of a Pecorino Aged Cheese in Walnut Leaves sold at the Bowery location—as well as another in Florida—have tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, the bacteria that can be potentially fatal for some people (infants, the elderly, those with compromised immune systems) and horrifically uncomfortable for everyone else. Wood pulp may be a flavorless lie but at least it won't give you the runs.
The grocer says the cheese came wrapped in clear plastic bearing the PLU code 294239 and "sell by" dates of 3/3/16 through 3/8/16. The store pulled the cheese from its cases on Monday, February 8th and had the product destroyed, but anyone who purchased the cheese before that date should double check the labels. If you have the offending product in your refrigerator, bring it back to the store and Whole Foods will fully refund your purchase.
Yesterday, the importer Forever Cheese Inc., which is based out of Long Island City, issued a 40 case recall of its Mitica brand cheese that's named in the Whole Foods recall. The cheese was distributed to retailers and restaurants in several other cities, including Los Angeles, Cleveland and Philadelphia, plus six other states including New York and Connecticut.
