CDC Warns About Listeria Risk in Requesón and Soft Ricotta Cheese: What Shoppers Should Check Now
The CDC issued an outbreak warning on June 5, 2026, tied to requesón and soft ricotta cheese linked to Listeria. If you have either cheese at home, check it now and do not eat it until you know it is not part of the warning.
What shoppers should look for
Start with the refrigerator, deli case leftovers, and any tubs, containers, or wrapped packages of soft cheese that may be labeled requesón or soft ricotta. If you bought a fresh cheese from a deli counter, farmers market, or refrigerated case and the exact details are unclear, set it aside until you can confirm it is not connected to the outbreak.
Do not assume a small amount is safe to taste. With Listeria, the right move is to stop serving the cheese and check it carefully against the CDC update and any follow-up FDA notice.
What to do right away
If you have the affected cheese, throw it away. Do not try to rinse it, cook it, or salvage it. Then wash any refrigerator shelves, drawers, containers, or utensils that the cheese touched with hot, soapy water. If juice or crumbs spread to nearby surfaces, clean those too.
If the cheese was in a shared fridge, take a quick look at labels and containers so no one else serves it by mistake. This matters in family kitchens, break rooms, and childcare settings, where soft cheeses may be stored with other ready-to-eat foods.
Who should be extra cautious
Some households need to treat a Listeria warning as especially serious. The higher-risk groups include pregnant people, older adults, newborns, and people with weakened immune systems. For those groups, even a small exposure can be more concerning.
If someone in one of those groups may have eaten the cheese, pay closer attention to symptoms and contact a doctor promptly if illness signs appear.
Symptoms to watch for
Listeria symptoms can include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea. In pregnant people, symptoms may be mild at first, but the infection can still affect the pregnancy and the baby.
Call a doctor promptly if symptoms develop, especially after eating the cheese or if the person is in a high-risk group. If you are caring for a newborn or a pregnant family member, do not wait to ask for medical advice if something feels off.
Keep checking for updates
The CDC warning is the best place to start, and the FDA may add more product details if investigators identify them. Because outbreak notices can expand, it is smart to recheck the latest federal updates before you buy or serve any soft ricotta or requesón that looks similar.
For now, the simple rule is: check the fridge, do not eat the cheese, throw it away, and clean the area it touched.
