Clover Hill Dairy Recalls Listeria-Linked Soft Cheese as Studies Highlight High Risk to Pregnant Women

Clover Hill Dairy of Mechanicsville, Maryland, recalled requesón/soft ricotta cheese on June 3, 2026, due to potential Listeria contamination. The recalled products were sold from the company's retail market, at farmers markets, and through distributors in New York and Virginia. Varieties may include jalapeño or other flavors, and products may be relabeled under a different brand. The manufacturer permit number identified on labels is "24-128."

Listeria monocytogenes is especially dangerous for pregnant women, people 65 or older, and those with weakened immune systems. For pregnant individuals, the bacteria can cause pregnancy loss, premature birth, or a life-threatening infection in newborns. Symptoms in pregnant women typically include fever, muscle aches, and tiredness, and may appear as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks after exposure. In other people, Listeria can cause headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, convulsions, fever, muscle aches, and tiredness.

The CDC urges pregnant individuals and others at high risk not to eat the recalled soft cheese and to clean refrigerators, containers, and surfaces that may have come into contact with it. Listeria can survive in the refrigerator and easily spread to other foods and surfaces. The agency notes that soft cheese, even pasteurized varieties, can be a riskier food choice for vulnerable populations. Businesses that sold or served the recalled cheese should wash and sanitize all items and surfaces that may have been in contact with it.

Listeria is the third-leading cause of death among bacterial foodborne pathogens in the United States. Each year, approximately 1,250 Americans contract listeriosis, a disease with an 86% hospitalization rate and a fatality rate of about 14%. Pregnancy-associated cases account for 14% of all listeriosis cases, and when Listeria reaches the fetus, it causes stillbirth in 25% of those infections. Recent outbreaks in 2021–2023 linked to ice cream, queso fresco, and enoki mushrooms resulted in five stillbirths in just three years.

A new study to be published in Risk Analysis by researchers at Michigan State University developed population-specific models for maternal infection and stillbirth risk based on animal data. The researchers found that fetal brain infection is a more precise and reliable indicator of stillbirth risk than direct stillbirth outcomes alone. In every stillbirth studied, infection was found in fetal brains, but in none of the pregnancies that resulted in live births. The study authors call on public health agencies to use population-specific models rather than generic population estimates when developing food safety guidance.

Health officials also warn that raw milk increases Listeria risk significantly. According to a joint report by the FDA and Health Canada, about 1% of all soft cheeses will be affected by Listeria contamination, but if that cheese is made with raw milk, the risk triples to quadruples. The incidence of Listeria in raw milk is between 3% and 5%. Listeria is unusual among foodborne pathogens because it can grow even under refrigeration, making careful food handling critical.

The placenta protects the fetus from many harms, but Listeria is one of the few bacteria that can cross the placenta and cause infection. The bacteria can also pass through breast milk to a newborn. Pregnant and breastfeeding individuals are advised to avoid raw milk and products made with raw milk, soft cheeses such as queso fresco, brie, cottage cheese, and cream cheese, deli meats, hot dogs, and pre-packaged pre-cut vegetables. FDA guidance recommends pregnant individuals avoid unpasteurized cheeses, raw sprouts, deli meats, hot dogs, and smoked seafood unless heated thoroughly.