Consumer Alert: Listeria Contamination in Maiden’s Creamery Wild Meadow Raw Goat Milk Cheese

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball today warned consumers not to consume The Maiden’s Creamery “Wild Meadow” raw goat milk cheese made by Mark Harvey, 1277 Copes Corner Road, South New Berlin, NY 13843 due to possible Listeria contamination. To date, no illnesses have been reported to the Department in connection with this product. The product is packaged in various sizes of sealed flexible plastic packaging, displaying the plant number 36-1315, with a code of 101. The consumer alert affects all packages with this code. This product was sold at the Cooperstown Farmers’ Market, located at 101 Main St., Cooperstown, NY, in late December 2017 and early January 2018 and at the Sunflower Natural Foods Market, located at 75 Mill Hill Rd. Woodstock, NY, starting on January 10, 2018. A routine sample of the cheese, taken by an inspector from the Division of Milk Control and Dairy Services on February 20, 2018, was subsequently tested by the New York State Food Laboratory and discovered to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. On February 23, 2018, the manufacturer was notified of a preliminary positive test result and voluntarily recalled the product from their customers. Test results were confirmed on March 2, 2018. The cheese will be destroyed by the manufacturer. Listeria-contaminated product may cause Listeriosis, a disease that usually causes mild flu-like symptoms in healthy individuals; however, in immune-compromised individuals, meningitis and blood poisoning can occur. Pregnant women are also considered a highrisk group, as Listeriosis can also result in stillbirths. Consumers with questions about the recalled product can contact Mark Harvey at (607) 859-2227.