Nelson & Isa Lacteos LLC of Bayshore, New York, has announced a recall for 1-pound packages of requeson cheese because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets announced.
The recall involves requeson, which is a Mexican-style traditional soft cheese that is similar to ricotta. The cheese was sold in 1-pound plastic clamshell containers at retail locations in New York from May 15 to May 28, 2026. Because the product was likely repacked at the store level, labeling and coding may vary depending on where it was purchased.
No illnesses have been directly linked to the recalled Nelson & Isa requeson cheese products. Instead, the recall was announced after state inspectors discovered Listeria contamination after sampling an 18-pound container of “Clover Hill Dairy Requeson Cheese” with a sell-by date of June 14, 2026, and batch #2AA051526, which had been repacked into the smaller containers.
That supplier is at the center of a far larger problem. The FDA and the CDC are investigating a multi-state, multi-year outbreak of Listeria infections linked to requeson made by Clover Hill Dairy of Mechanicsville, Maryland.
As of early June 2026, 8 people across 3 states (Maryland, New York, and Virginia) have been infected with the outbreak strain. 7 have been hospitalized, and 1 person in Maryland has died. Samples from sick people were collected on dates ranging from March 6, 2023, to May 9, 2026.
On June 3, 2026, Clover Hill Dairy issued a voluntary recall of its requeson and soft ricotta products. The Maryland Department of Health has suspended the company’s operating license, issued a consumer advisory, and is conducting a follow-up evaluation of the facility.
Listeria is especially harmful to pregnant women, people 65 and older, and those with weakened immune systems. In pregnant women, the infection can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, or a life-threatening infection in newborns. Symptoms can include high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
Listeria can be very dangerous. While the symptoms usually appear within 2 weeks of eating contaminated food, the symptoms may not start until as late as 10 weeks after exposure. That long delay means someone could fall ill long after the cheese is gone, without ever connecting the illness to what they ate.
Soft Hispanic-style cheeses have been linked to repeated deadly Listeria outbreaks in recent years. In 2024, the CDC and FDA solved a decade-long outbreak tied to queso fresco and cotija cheese made by Rizo-López Foods of Modesto, California. That outbreak spanned 11 states, with 26 illnesses, 23 hospitalizations, 2 deaths, and 1 pregnancy loss, and prompted a nationwide recall of roughly 60 dairy products.
A few years earlier, in 2021, Listeria in queso fresco made by El Abuelito Cheese Inc. sickened 13 people across 4 states, resulting in 12 hospitalizations and 1 death in Maryland. That recall was expanded to include the company’s quesillo and requeson cheeses made at the same facility.
Federal regulators have flagged the pattern. The FDA has noted that since 2020, a significant number of foodborne illness outbreaks have been attributed to fresh, soft, queso fresco-type cheeses made from pasteurized milk, and the agency has developed a dedicated Listeria prevention strategy for these products.
Consumers who bought the recalled 1-pound requeson packages are urged not to eat the product and to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Anyone with questions can contact Nelson & Isa Lacteos LLC at 631-334-1055 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern time.
For updates on the broader outbreak, the FDA outbreak investigation page is being updated as new information becomes available.
Consumers who got sick after eating recalled requeson or other soft cheese may have legal options, and a product liability attorney can advise them on their rights.
Source: Nelson & Isa Lacteos LLC Recalls Requeson Cheese Due to Possible Health Risk