Federal food safety alerts have expanded repeatedly this month as regulators track a multistate listeria investigation tied to cheese products. That warning now centers on Clover Hill Dairy of Mechanicsville, Maryland, whose recalled cheeses were distributed in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Clover Hill Dairy expanded its recall as illnesses rose
Clover Hill Dairy, LLC expanded its recall on June 18, 2026, to include all cheese products on the market that were manufactured at its Mechanicsville facility, according to the FDA recall notice and outbreak advisory. FDA said the products have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, and the agency’s broader outbreak investigation lists this event as reference No. 1380.
The CDC said the outbreak has been linked to nine illnesses, eight hospitalizations and one death. FDA said sick people’s samples were collected from March 6, 2023, to May 10, 2026, showing that investigators are examining a multiyear outbreak pattern rather than a single isolated incident.
The recalled products include soft and hard cheeses sold in multiple sizes, including ricotta or requeson in 5-gallon 40-pound buckets, 2-gallon 18-pound buckets, 2.5-pound tubs and 1-pound clamshell containers, as well as soft ricotta with jalapeños. FDA said the label on clamshell containers should show Clover Hill Dairy manufacturer permit number “24-128.” The agency has not published UPC codes in the recall announcement, and no FDA hazard classification such as Class I was listed in the recall notice provided to consumers.
Distribution reached six states and Washington, D.C.
The cheeses were distributed from May 4, 2026, through May 30, 2026, according to the CDC outbreak page. The confirmed distribution area includes Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C., and both FDA and CDC said additional distribution through secondary sellers is possible.
New York has the most detailed retail information publicly identified so far. FDA said Nelson & Isa Lacteos, LLC of Bay Shore, New York, initiated a recall on June 5, 2026, for 1-pound packages of requeson cheese sold in plastic clamshell containers to New York retail locations from May 15 through May 28, 2026, and later updated that notice with a store list.
By contrast, regulators have not released a comprehensive public list of affected retail locations in Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia or Washington, D.C. FDA said Clover Hill Dairy products were sold directly from the company’s retail market, at farmers markets and through third-party distributors, and some may have been relabeled under names including Kesso, Quesos La Ricura, Izalco, De Mi Pueblo and Rio Lindo.
Testing linked the cheese to the outbreak strain
FDA said the recall followed testing by the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets, which detected Listeria monocytogenes in an unopened 18-pound plastic container of Clover Hill Dairy Requeson Cheese with a sell-by date of June 14, 2026, and batch No. 2AA051526. FDA said whole genome sequencing confirmed that the strain found in the cheese matched the strain linked to the outbreak.
The agency also said six product samples of requeson cheese and one environmental sample collected by Maryland state partners matched the outbreak strain. In addition, the Maryland Department of Health suspended Clover Hill Dairy’s operating license and announced a consumer advisory on June 14 while FDA worked with state partners on the expanded recall.
For shoppers, the current guidance is specific: customers should not eat, sell or serve the recalled cheese and should return it to the point of purchase for a full refund, according to the FDA-posted company announcement. The investigation remains ongoing, and FDA said additional products could be identified as more information becomes available.