Christmas cheese warning as products recalled due to listeria contamination

The Food Standards Agency has recalled a selection of cheeses sold in supermarkets over fears that they are contaminated with a potentially deadly bacteria.

The agency warned that cheeses made by Wicklow Farmhouse, including brie and cheddar, which are sold in independent stores and Irish Aldis, had to be recalled over fears that they contained Listeria monocytogenes.

This bacteria causes a disease called listeriosis that, in most people, causes flu-like symptoms, as well as vomiting and diarrhoea.

However, in vulnerable people with weakened immune systems, as well as the elderly and the young, the bacteria can cause life-threatening meningitis or sepsis.

In pregnant women, the bacteria can also lead to stillbirths or miscarriages, with one in five of those who contract listeriosis experiencing the loss of their child.

The brands included in the recall are Ballykilty Baking Brie, St Killian Cheese, Baking St Killian Cheese, Wicklow Ban, Wicklow Blue Brie, St Killians, Wicklow Farmhouse Cheddar Wedge, Wicklow Gold Tomato & Herb, and Drunken Saint.

The agency said that the recall predominately affected people in Northern Ireland.

A statement said: “Point of sale notices will be displayed in the retail stores in Northern Ireland that are selling the products.

Customers who purchased any of the recalled items have been told to return the products back to where they bought them in order to receive a full refund.

Official data shows that 177 cases of listeriosis were reported in England and Wales in 2023, up from 124 in the year before.

Of the 177 cases, 32 proved to be fatal.

In March 2023, an outbreak of listeriosis associated with semi-soft cheese was detected in England after three people were infected with the same strain of L. monocytogenes. One of these cases resulted in a fatality.