Tag Archives: Grassfields Cheese

7 cases of pathogenic E. coli linked to Michigan cheese maker

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It’s been a bad week for cheese. Lots of salmonellosis cases were linked to a North Carolina artisanal creamery and a farmstead cheese maker in Michigan was linked to STEC illnesses. More details today from WOOD8.

The husband and wife who own Grassfields Cheese decided to recall 20,000 pounds of cheese — most of what they make in a year — and now they question if they will be able to recover.

“To those people that are sick, that weighs on me,” said Luke Meerman, owner of Grassfields Cheeses.grassfields-cheese-50b115a61d45e028a800028a

Meerman is a fifth-generation on the primarily dairy farm that has been in operation since 1882.

He and his wife, Victoria, decided 15 years ago to make organic cheeses made from the grass-fed, antibiotic-free cows raised on the family farm.

The business did not make the family rich, but it was popular online and is sold around the nation at Whole Foods.

On Monday, Meerman said he was contacted by the Michigan Department of Agriculture that cases of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, a bacteria that can cause serious illness in humans, were reported.

Then it was confirmed as state officials tell me that seven people have been made sick — including one in Kent County — and one person was hospitalized.

Several of the people sickened by E.coli said they had eaten restaurant meals containing Grassfields cheese. State lab workers are testing additional cheese samples.

People are sick: Michigan cheesemaker recalls 10 tons of organic product after STEC discovered

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Jim Harger of MLive reports that Grassfields Cheese LLC, is conducting a recall of about 20,000 pounds of organic cheeses due to possible contamination with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC).

Grassfields CheeseThe company is voluntarily recalling the cheeses “out of an abundance of caution,” according to a recall notice issued by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) on Wednesday, Aug. 3.

“The potential for contamination was identified during an ongoing investigation of seven cases of human illnesses occurring between March and July 2016 caused by a same type of STEC,” according to the recall notice.

The department’s Geagley Laboratory confirmed the presence of STEC bacteria in a sample of Grassfields cheese collected by state food and dairy inspectors, according to the announcement.

The recall involves all types and sizes of organic cheeses manufactured by Grassfields between Dec. 1, 2015 through June 1, 2016 including: Gouda, Onion ‘n Garlic, Country Dill, Leyden, Edam, Lamont Cheddar, Chili Cheese, Fait Fras, Polkton Corners and Crofters. The cheeses were sold as wheels, half wheels, and wedges of various sizes.

grassfields-cheese-50b115a61d45e028a800028aThe recalled cheeses were sold from the firm’s retail store at 14238 60th Ave., Coopersville MI 49404, to wholesale and retail customers, and to consumers nationwide via sales through the firm’s website: http://www.Grassfieldsscheese.com/.

Owned by the same family since 1882, Grassfields Cheese switched from confinement farming to grass-based pasture farming in 1991. They added artisan cheeses and a farm store in 2002. And in 2007, they were certified as an organic dairy.