Urgent recall: Soft cheese pulled from shelves over E. coli contamination fears

An urgent recall is being conducted across much of the country over fears that several soft cheese products, sold in popular supermarkets such as Coles and Woolworths, may be contaminated with microbial E. coli. NSW Food Authority confirmed the recall on Friday afternoon as they issued an urgent message across their social media pages.

A total of 11 Udder Delights White Mould cheeses are thought to be affected by the potential contamination and anyone who has purchased one of the products is being urged not to consume the cheese and to return the item to the place of purchase in exchange for a full refund.

The products being recalled are; Udder Delights Brie (200g), Udder Delights Camembert (200g), Udder Delights Double Cream Brie (200g), Cremeux Provincial Cheese Brie (200g), Udder Delights Ash Brie (200g), Cremeux Provincial Cheese Camembert (200g), Cremeux Provincial Cheese Double Brie (200g), Divine Dairy Organic Brie (200g), Divine Dairy Organic Double Cream Brie (200g), Eureka Camembert (200g) and Shale Point Double Cream Camembert (200g).

All of the products are wrapped in either silver foil or white packaging and the recall includes all cheeses with best before dates ranging from January 29 2020 to February 5 2020.

The items have been on sale at Coles, Woolworths and independent retailers across New South Wales, Coles and independent retailers in the states of Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, as well as independent retailers in Tasmania.

#recall: Udder Delights Australia Pty Ltd is conducting a recall of various cheeses, 200g, due to potential microbial (E.coli) contamination from Coles, Woolworths and independent retail stores in NSW, QLD, VIC, TAS, SA and WA. https://t.co/ZWkn5FLq3d pic.twitter.com/ehJvBjIRbf

— NSW Food Authority (@NSWFoodAuth) November 15, 2019

According to the government’s Health Direct website, E. coli (Escherichia coli) are a group of bacteria that are found in the gut of almost all humans and animals. Some strains can cause illness, while others are harmless.

Minor illnesses such as diarrhoea and sickness can be contracted as a result of E. coli contamination, while urinary tract infections are also common. However the bacteria can also result in more serious health issues, such as pneumonia, meningitis and cholecystitis (inflammation of the gall bladder).

The South Australian brand, based in Hahndorf, also issued a message on their official Facebook page, as Chief Executive Sheree Sullivan said: “It is with a very heavy heart that Udder Delights is doing its first voluntary recall since we began 20 years ago.

“Our internal routine microbial testing found low levels of E.coli in some of our white mould 200g cheeses. SA Health has no evidence that the form of E.coli present is dangerous but, regardless, the safety of our customers is number one and we have decided to voluntarily recall the products.”

She added: We are banding together as a team to respond quickly and resolve the issue, and words cannot truly describe how sorry we are for the disruption we’re causing our customers.”