La Ceiba Foods Recall: Check Your La Colonia & Selectos Latinos Requesón (Soft Ricotta-Style Cheese) for Listeria
Quick action for home cooks: If you have La Colonia or Selectos Latinos requesón/soft ricotta-style cheese in your fridge, check it against the FDA recall details. FDA says these products were recalled due to a possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination connected to an ongoing investigation.
What’s being recalled (check your package now)
According to the FDA recall notice, La Ceiba Foods Latin Market, Inc. is recalling the following soft ricotta-style cheeses:
- Requesón Salvadoreño (Salvadoran cottage cheese) sold under the La Colonia brand
- Requesón Mexicano (Mexican cottage cheese) sold under the La Colonia brand
- Requesón Salvadoreño sold under the Selectos Latinos brand
- Requesón Mexicano sold under the Selectos Latinos brand
Important: Don’t rely on “close enough.” Compare the exact product name and brand on your label to the FDA recall listing, and follow the FDA’s specific instructions for disposal or return.
Why shoppers should care: possible Listeria
Listeria monocytogenes is a germ that can cause serious illness in certain people. That’s why the FDA is urging consumers to avoid eating the recalled cheese if it matches the listed identifiers.
Higher-risk household members should be extra cautious: If you’re pregnant, older than 65, immunocompromised, or responsible for the kitchen safety of someone in those groups, take the recall seriously and act right away. Listeria risk is one of those food-safety situations where “maybe” is enough reason to stop eating the product that’s been flagged.
What to do now (simple steps that protect the rest of your food)
- Do not taste it. Set the cheese aside and keep it out of your food area while you confirm whether it matches the recall details.
- Check the FDA recall notice for your exact identifiers. Use the FDA listing to confirm product name/brand and any other package details included in the notice.
- Stop eating the recalled cheese. If it matches, follow the FDA instructions for disposal or return (do not “use a little” or “test a bite”).
- Avoid cross-contamination. Listeria can spread through kitchen contact. If the recalled cheese touched utensils, wrappers, a cutting board, sink areas, or other surfaces, clean and sanitize those areas before preparing anything ready-to-eat.
- Keep other foods safe. Don’t place other foods on the same plate or board that handled the cheese. Wash hands thoroughly after handling recalled product.
Outbreak linkage: FDA investigation update
FDA has also posted an outbreak investigation update related to listeria in soft cheese. That update provides the broader context for why FDA is emphasizing consumer action. Even if your household feels well, the right move is to follow the recall instructions for any matching product you still have.
Where to confirm updates
For the most accurate “does my package match?” details, check the FDA La Ceiba Foods recall notice and the FDA listeria soft-cheese outbreak investigation update. Those are the best places to see any expanded product identifiers or updated guidance.
Calm next steps checklist
- Open the fridge and locate any La Colonia or Selectos Latinos requesón.
- Compare label details to the FDA recall listing.
- If it matches, stop eating it and follow the FDA instructions for disposal or return.
- Clean/sanitize surfaces that had contact with the cheese.
