World’s Best Cheeses based in Armonk, NY, is recalling Formagerie de la Brie brand l’Explorateur soft ripened cheese After a French supplier warned it could be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a potentially deadly foodborne pathogen.

“The cheese was manufactured by Fromagerie de la Brie of St. Simeon, France. World’s Best Cheeses was one of several importers notified by their French Consolidator of a suspicion for Listeria monocytogenes,” according to the recall notice.

The recalled Formagerie de la Brie brand, l’Explorateur soft ripened cheese products were made from pasteurized milk. It was distributed in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Utah, Colorado, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington D.C. through retail stores Feb. 28 through April 13.

Packaged in 8.8-ounce clear plastic packages, the recalled cheese is from lot numbers H036, H038, H043 and H044. Consumers can identify the recalled cheese by checking for any of those numbers.

According to the recall, no illnesses have been reported to date by public health authorities.

“World’s Best Cheeses representatives have already been in contact with their retail stores that received product and requested that they remove the recalled product from store shelves and inventory and that no product is available for consumer purchase,” according to the company.

“Consumers should not consume the product, and should discard it or return the product to the store for refund,” according to the recall notice. Consumers can call 1-914-273-1400 with additional questions.

Advice to consumers
Listeria monocytogenes is microscopic organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

Although healthy adults may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

Anyone who has eaten any of the recalled cheese and developed symptoms of Listeria infection should seek medical attention and tell their doctors about the possible exposure to the pathogen.

Also, because it can take up to 70 days after exposure for symptoms to develop, people who have eaten the recalled cheese should monitor themselves for symptoms in the coming weeks.