The Colorado Department of Health and Environment is warning consumers who purchased Mauri Gorgonzola cheese at Costco stores with sell by dates of Jan. 13 and 14, 2011 not to eat the cheese.
The cheese was recalled late Wednesday after tests by the state health department found E. coli 0157:H7 in an unopened 1 pound package of gorgonzola.
The cheese was distributed only to Costco stores in Colorado. Mauri Gorgonzola cheese is packaged in clear plastic in approximately 1 lb. wedges.
No illnesses have so far been linked to the gorgonzola, which has a white sticker on the package that reads: DISTRIBUTED BY DPI Specialty Foods Tualatin, OR, ITALY 34449.”
This recall is different from an earlier recall of Bravo Farms Dutch Style Gouda cheese that was handed out in samples and sold during in-store “Cheese Road Show” promotions at Costco stores Oct. 14-17. Twenty-five people in five states, including eight people in Colorado, have become sick with E. coli, and the gouda is suspected.
Health departments in Colorado and other states plus the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration, have been investigating the outbreak of E. coli infections among people who sampled or purchased cheeses during the promotion.
The gorgonzola cheese was tested as part of the investigation of the original outbreak investigation.
However, the DNA fingerprint of this cheese does not match the outbreak strain and appears to be a separate incident, according to the health department.
People infected with E. coli 0157:H7 develop diarrhea and abdominal cramps, but some illnesses may last longer and can be more severe. People experiencing the symptoms should immediately contact their doctor.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
