A number of soft ‘Brie’ cheeses have been recalled from stores by Swiss health authorities in the past weeks and warnings for other cheeses have been issued as well. What’s going on?
Since October 27th, numerous soft-ripened cheeses had been recalled and removed from Migros, Coop, and Lidl shelves because Listeria bacteria, which poses a serious danger to vulnerable individuals and pregnant women, have been detected.
While such discoveries do happen from time to time – and not just in cheeses -read more about this below – this particular recall has been especially ‘massive.’
Since October, more than 20 cheeses manufactured by Eberle Spezialitäten AG in Gossau (St. Gallen) and Strähl Käse AG in Siegershausen (Thurgau) have been recalled due to the presence of Listeria.
You can see the full list on the website of the Federal Department for Food Safety (FSVO) here.
How could such a massive-scale contamination have occurred?
According to the FSVO, soft-ripened cheeses like the Brie “create conditions that favour the proliferation of Listeria. This is primarily due to their acidity level (pH) and the amount of moisture available to the bacteria. Hard cheeses do not present these same conditions.”
While raw-milk cheeses are a more fertile ground for such contaminations, “this risk also applies to cheeses made from pasteuried milk,” the FSVO spokesperson said, adding that “while the pasteurisation process destroys the bacteria, it does not prevent subsequent contamination.”
Still, cheeses from raw milk carry more risk: several years ago, 14 children and staff members at a Swiss boarding school consumed ‘Tomme’, a soft cheese produced from raw milk; within seven hours, all of them fell ill.
READ MORE: Can raw milk be sold legally in Switzerland?
However, dairy products are not the only ones at risk of being tainted. Other products are also regularly found to be dangerous to eat – though not only because of bacteria.
For instance, in October, at the same time as the first batch of contaminated cheeses was recalled, Wander AG, the producer of the iconic Ovomaltine chocolate, recalled “Ovo Crunchy Ice Mini” – a frozen Ovomaltine snack with ice cream inside – “due to the presence of foreign objects made of wood.”
Also, in October, : LOLIPOP candy shop, with branches across Switzerland, recalled its “Frosty Pocket Slush Ice” due to “excessive glycerol content” – a substance that is often used in cosmetics, but in sweets – not so much.
How do you know whether a product has been found unsafe and recalled?
In Switzerland, both the manufacturers of faulty products and FSVO alert the public via their websites and the media.
You can also regularly check out this website, which lists all the products withdrawn from sale.
If you happen to have this product in your home, you can immediately return it to the retailer and get your money back. Certainly, don’t consume it or use it.
