Whole Foods recalls cheese linked to nationwide Listeria outbreak that has killed one victim



The Crave Brothers Les Freres cheese may be contaminated with Listeria which can kill children and elderly



One elderly person in Minnesota died on Thursday



Four states have reported to have the outbreak, Illinois, Ohio, Minnesota and Indiana



In healthy people Listeria can cause high fever, headache and nausea

A contaminated cheese is being recalled from supermarket shelves after it may have killed at least one person and caused an outbreak of a bacterial infection.

The dangerous cheese, Les Freres, made by the company Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese Company, may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause fatal infections in children.



It can also lead to severe illness for women who are pregnant or people who have weakened immune systems.



Deadly: Les Freres Cheese is thought to be contaminated by the Listeria bacteria which can kill

Recall: Whole Foods Market is pulling all the Les Freres cheese products from its shelves

In healthy people, it can cause symptoms including high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.

Whole Foods Market Inc. is one of those supermarkets recalling the cheese, which has sickened people in several states, according to the Huffington Post.

The FDA said five people between the ages of 31 and 67 have been hospitalised and one - an elderly person in Minnesota - died on Thursday as a result of the outbreak.



One pregnant woman is believed to have suffered a miscarriage as a result of contracting the disease. Cases were reported in Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio

The cheese was sold in 30 states under names including Les Freres and Crave Brothers Les Freres

Source: The Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese factory is where the products were contaminated

Public health officials in Illinois said on Wednesday that one resident became sick after eating contaminated cheese in May, according to the Huffington Post .

The FDA said the Minnesota Department of Agriculture is testing samples of the cheese and early results indicate that there is listeria bacteria present in the samples. Confirmation of these results is pending.

If ingested, the listeria bacteria can cause listeriosis, a rare and serious illness.

The cheese was sold in 30 states under names including Les Freres and Crave Brothers Les Freres.

On the company's website, the cheese is described as: 'This European style cheese was developed with care to reflect the Crave Brothers' Irish-French heritage.



'It is a rich rind washed cheese with an earthy, fruity flavour. It tastes wonderful served with fruits and breads, paired with wine or in a cheese course.'



The cheese was cut and packaged in clear plastic wrap and sold with Whole Foods Market scale labels.



Bacteria: If ingested, listeria can cause listeriosis, a rare and serious illness

Whole Foods has now started posting signs in its stores to inform customers about the recall and said customers should throw away the cheese and bring in their receipts for a full refund.

Crave Brothers, which is based in Waterloo, Wisconsin, has announced a voluntary recall of Les Freres, Petit Frere, and Petit Frere with Truffles cheese made on July 1 or earlier.

It said the cheeses were distributed around the country through retail and food service outlets and mail order.

The president of Crave Brothers, George Crave, issued a statement on its website, saying: 'We are cooperating with the regulatory agencies' ongoing investigation of the cause of the potential health risks'.



The website urges its customers who have purchased any of the products 'not to consume them'.