A vegan, cheese alternative is recalled for salmonella in 17 states. Here’s what to do

Got some Jule’s Cashew Brie, a vegan, plant-based cheese alternative, as a treat?

Hold off on munching some. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other national organizations are investigating a multistate outbreak of salmonella duisburg infections linked to the consumption of Jule’s Cashew Brie, the FDA said in an alert issued Friday, April 23.

Jule’s Foods of Carlsbad, California, voluntarily recalled all varieties of its Jule’s Foods products on April 21.

As a precaution, Jule’s is also recalling its plant-based dairy alternative Jule’s Spinach Artichoke Dip and Jule’s Vegan Ranch Dressing. These products were sold directly to customers via the internet.

What is salmonella?

The salmonella bacteria can cause about 1.35 million infections, lead to 26,500 hospitalizations and result in 420 deaths in the United States every year, according to the CDC. Food is most often the source and most who get sick have diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps.

Symptoms can begin six hours to six days after infection and last four days to a week, according to the CDC. Most people recover without any treatment but sometimes in cases of severe infection antibiotics or hospitalization could be required.

The CDC identified an outbreak of five salmonella duisburg illnesses, considered a rare salmonella serotype. All samples that were taken from people who got sick were “highly related” according to whole genome sequencing analysis or DNA fingerprinting of the pathogen.

Of the five people that were interviewed about their eating habits, three of them, or 60%, reported eating Jule’s Truffle Cashew Brie – the only common product identified, the FDA said in its alert.

The California and Tennessee health departments collected samples of Jule’s Cashew Brie that included Cashew Brie (Classic), Truffle Cashew Brie and Black Garlic Cashew Brie from various retailers. Preliminary results found that these products in California may have been contaminated with salmonella, according to the CDC and FDA.

“Additional analysis subsequently confirmed the presence of salmonella and additional analysis is ongoing to determine if the type of salmonella found in these products matches the outbreak strain.”

Where is the brie sold?

Florida is one of 17 states in which Jule’s Cashew Brie is distributed to retailers. The others are Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Texas.

The product is also sold online.

Where have there been salmonella sicknesses?

There have been five reported cases as of the recall, two of which required hospitalizations but no deaths have been reported., according to the CDC. There has been one case identified so far in Florida and two apiece in California and Tennessee. The last illness was reported on Feb. 27, 2021.

Recommendations

Consumers, restaurants and retailers should not eat, sell, or serve recalled Jule’s Foods products, the FDA said in its alert. If you bought any, toss it out or return it to the place of purchase for a refund.

Also, the FDA suggests that if you think you have used Jule’s brand products recently, “use extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces and containers that may have come in contact with the products to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.”