A fresh Listeria monocytogenes warning is affecting soft cheese lovers in Philadelphia and the Northeast. On June 4, 2026, the FDA issued an outbreak advisory concerning recalled requeson and soft ricotta cheese manufactured by Clover Hill Dairy, LLC, after samples tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. The FDA has initiated traceback investigations and onsite inspections as officials work to determine the full distribution range of the contaminated product.
Requeson — a traditional soft, fresh cheese made from whey — is widely popular in Mexican, Latin American, and South American cuisine. Philadelphia's large Hispanic population, which represents more than 15% of the city's 1.6 million residents, may have a disproportionately higher exposure to this product through neighborhood grocery stores, tiendas, and specialty markets. Soft, fresh cheeses made from unpasteurized or minimally processed dairy are consistently among the highest-risk food categories for Listeria contamination, as the bacteria thrive in moist, refrigerated environments and are not always killed during the production of soft cheeses.
What Is Requeson and Why It Poses a Unique Risk
Unlike hard aged cheeses, requeson and soft ricotta are high-moisture products with a neutral pH and low salt content — conditions that allow Listeria to survive and grow even in refrigerators. The CDC's Listeria resource page notes that soft Mexican-style cheeses, including requeson, queso fresco, and queso blanco, have been implicated in multiple past U.S. Listeria outbreaks, with particularly devastating outcomes for pregnant women.
Listeria monocytogenes is especially dangerous during pregnancy. Infection can cause miscarriage, premature labor, stillbirth, or severe neonatal illness. For non-pregnant healthy adults, Listeria infection typically causes fever, muscle aches, nausea, and diarrhea. But for older adults and immunocompromised individuals — including people undergoing chemotherapy, taking corticosteroids, or living with HIV — Listeria can invade the bloodstream and nervous system, causing meningitis, encephalitis, and death.
The Action You Must Take Right Now if You Have This Product
If you have purchased any requeson or soft ricotta cheese from Clover Hill Dairy, LLC, do not eat it — throw it away or return it to the store. Even if the cheese looks and smells normal, Listeria cannot be detected by taste, smell, or appearance. Listeria can survive and grow in refrigerators. Clean and disinfect any containers, surfaces, or drawers in your refrigerator that may have come into contact with the product.
Seek medical care immediately if you are pregnant, over 65, or immunocompromised and develop fever, muscle aches, severe headache, stiff neck, confusion, or loss of balance in the weeks following possible exposure. The FDA's full advisory and product identification information is available online. The investigation is ongoing — additional products may be added to the recall.
Philadelphia's large and food-insecure immigrant communities may rely on smaller specialty stores that do not always rapidly remove recalled products or that have weaker formal recall notification systems than large chain grocery stores. City and state health departments should be prioritizing outreach in Spanish-language media and through community health workers to ensure this alert reaches the neighborhoods most likely to have purchased this product.
