The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have warned UK consumers to not eat Baronet semi soft cheeses due to a recall following a contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

The UKHSA carried out Whole Genome Sequencing surveillance of Listeriosis samples and has found three cases that are “potentially linked to an outbreak”. The FSA has also disclosed that one death has been linked to the food safety issue.

New Food reported on the Baronet soft cheeses recall in our weekly Recall Roundup, however, since then the FSA has issued a further statement stating that some of the recalled cheeses are contaminated in “exceptionally high levels”.

Describing the cheese as a “pasteurised semi soft cheese with a pinkish orange rind and a pungent smell”, the FSA has highlighted to consumers that it is sold in both small individual rounds as well as 1kg wheels that stockists can cut down to order.

 “The cheeses are sometimes served sliced from a deli counter, so it may not always be clear whether you have purchased an affected product”, said the FSA.

Advise from the Agency states that consumers should contact the retailer they purchased the cheese from to decipher whether their cheese is from the businesses and batched affected by the recall. It has also urged consumers to not eat the product in the meantime.

“The outbreak strain has also been found in some food products and samples taken from food environments, however there is no confirmation that Baronet is the cause of this outbreak,” said the FSA.