Cheese recalled due to listeria: "A failure in the health control system?"

Recalls are multiplying. Nearly 50 batches produced by the Chevagrand cheese factory are now subject to a recall due to a risk of listeria contamination.

Public Health France announced in a press release published on August 12 that health authorities had identified 21 cases of listeriosis and that two deaths were potentially linked to it. The victims are spread across France, with the exception of the Pays de la Loire region.

All the cheeses were produced by the Chavegrand family cheese dairy in and around Creuse. Camemberts, cream cheeses, and goat cheeses, among others, were sold throughout the country until August 9, particularly in supermarkets and internationally.

Consumer associations believe this health scandal could have been avoided. Several products from the same manufacturer had already been recalled due to suspected listeriosis a few months earlier.

On June 13, at least three cheeses were recalled, before being put back on the market in agreement with health authorities, according to the manufacturer. This back-and-forth could reveal a flaw in the system.

"Is there a failure in the health control system? How was administrative authorizations granted to this company so that it could continue to sell potentially dangerous products? Which is still extremely serious," asks Pierre Debuisson, a lawyer specializing in poisoning cases.

For its part, the Ministry of Agriculture maintains that the safety process was respected. However, the consumer alert was issued only four days after the stores were asked to stop selling the cheese. A process that was far too slow.

"The lack of responsiveness between the moment there is a suspicion and the moment there is a national recall is something very problematic, persistent, which has lasted for several years and which we continue to denounce, knowing that it is always the most vulnerable who are the first to be affected," the lawyer denounces.

Monitored nationwide, listeriosis is a rare foodborne infection. Each year in metropolitan France, 400 to 500 cases are recorded, according to the Pasteur Institute . It is the second leading cause of death from food poisoning.

In this case, 11 women and 10 men were infected with this bacteria, 18 of whom were over 65 years old. Three of them were taking medications known to promote digestive infections, and all the others had comorbidities such as diabetes or cancer, which are risk factors for listeriosis.

The Ministry of Agriculture stated that no contamination was detected in the month following the factory's first product recall in June. That was when the cheese production line was shut down, according to the cheese factory.

The company said the cheeses in question were produced on an old production line, which was closed at the beginning of June and then replaced by a new line and subjected to a "highly enhanced analysis plan."

These new recalls were therefore initiated "as a precaution," according to the ministry, following a potential link with cases of listeriosis, the incubation period of which can last up to a month. But residents are incomprehensible and fearful of contracting the disease.

"I don't understand, it's been going well for a while. I buy some Camembert, I won't hide from you that I threw it away this morning, I was scared," a resident told RMC.

Some also fear the repercussions of this affair: "These are companies that keep the sector alive, it's an important company. I'm afraid that the rumor will circulate and that it will harm Creuse more than necessary."