A former producer of raw milk cheese has pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges related to the deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that occurred in 2016 and 2017, federal prosecutors announced.
Johannes Wald and his New York-based company, Wald Creamery LLC, were each charged in federal court in Syracuse with one misdemeanor count of introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Pleaded guilty.
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Prosecutors said environmental swabs taken at Walton’s Wurth Creamery facility repeatedly tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes between July 2014 and February 2017.
Pieces of De Mimolette cheese and cheese balls. (Andia/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
In 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration linked the creamery’s cheese to an outbreak of listeriosis that resulted in eight hospitalizations and two deaths (one in Vermont and one in Connecticut). , Wald closed this creamery and announced a complete recall.
Listeriosis is a potentially life-threatening bacterial disease caused by ingesting food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Pregnant women, newborns, the elderly, and others with weakened immune systems are the people most at risk for serious illness.
Carla Friedman, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York, said Wald and his company’s dangerous conduct led to a “completely preventable tragedy” of illness and death.
“It’s important that American consumers can trust that the food they buy is safe to eat,” said Brian Boynton, head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Division.
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Mr. Wald’s attorney did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9th.
