Listeria outbreaks have been linked to cheese products made by Rizo-Lopez Foods, a company based in Modesto.
The CDC has investigated the outbreak multiple times and recently re-launched an investigation after new illnesses were reported in December 2023. In total, 26 people have gotten sick from eating queso fresco and cojita cheese products made by Rizo-Lopez Foods.
Listeria outbreaks have been linked to cheese products made by Rizo-Lopez Foods, a company based in Modesto. The CDC has investigated the outbreak multiple times and recently re-launched an investigation after new illnesses were reported in December 2023. In total, 26 people have gotten sick from eating queso fresco and cojita cheese products made by Rizo-Lopez Foods.
Retailers around the county are recalling some cheese products after an outbreak strain of listeria was found in Rizo Lopez Foods
Two people have been killed in the outbreak, including one person in Texas
The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported
Accuracy
People walk in and out of HEB, Thursday, March 5, 2020
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author states that 'retailers around the county' are recalling some cheese products after an outbreak strain of listeria was found in Rizo Lopez Foods. However, this statement is misleading as it implies that all retailers have recalled their cheese products when only a few stores were affected by the recalls. Secondly, the author states that 'the true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported.' This statement suggests that there are more cases of listeria infection than what has been officially reported. However, it is important to note that without any evidence or data to support this claim, it cannot be confirmed whether the true number of infected individuals is indeed higher. Lastly, the author mentions a news release from the CDC stating that 'symptoms can be short-term and include high fever.' This statement implies that listeria infection is not serious when in fact it can lead to severe complications such as meningitis and sepsis, especially for vulnerable populations like pregnant women. Therefore, this article contains deceptive practices.
The author's statement 'retailers around the county are recalling some cheese products after an outbreak strain of listeria was found in Rizo Lopez Foods.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several logical fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) multiple times without providing any context or analysis of their findings. Additionally, the author makes a false dilemma by stating that there are only two options: either return affected products to the store for a full refund or discard them. This oversimplifies the situation and ignores other potential solutions such as donating the food to those in need or properly disposing of it in accordance with local regulations. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric by stating that 'the true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported' without providing any evidence to support this claim.
The CDC investigated the outbreak in 2017 and 2021, but re-opened it last month after a new wave of infections tied to the foods were reported.
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest with Rizo Lopez Foods as they are the owner of queso fresco and cotija products that were recalled due to listeria contamination. The article does not disclose this conflict.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of Listeria outbreak as they mention Rizo Lopez Foods and Don Francisco cheese products in their article. The company is being recalled due to listeria contamination.
Listeria monocytogenes in a cheese ingredient supplied by RIZO-LPEZ FOODS, INC.
distributed to retail outlets including Costco, H-E-B, Trader Joe's and Albertson's in the following states: CA, CT
all products related to this recall have been removed from H-E-B shelves.
No consumer complaints have been reported to date.
Accuracy
Fresh Creative Foods Announces Voluntary Recall of Dressings and Taco Kit
The dressings and kits were distributed to retail outlets including Costco, H-E-B, Trader Joe's and Albertson's in the following states: CA, CT, FL, ID, IL,
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Fresh Creative Foods has voluntarily recalled certain products due to a risk of Listeria monocytogenes in a cheese ingredient supplied by RIZO-LPEZ FOODS, INC. However, this statement is misleading because it implies that Fresh Creative Foods took the initiative to recall these products when in fact they were forced to do so by regulatory authorities due to potential contamination. Secondly, the article states that no consumer complaints have been reported to date which could be seen as a positive thing but it's actually deceptive because Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
The article claims that Fresh Creative Foods has voluntarily recalled certain products due to a risk of Listeria monocytogenes in a cheese ingredient supplied by RIZO-LPEZ FOODS, INC. However, this statement is misleading because it implies that Fresh Creative Foods took the initiative to recall these products when in fact they were forced to do so by regulatory authorities due to potential contamination.
The article states that no consumer complaints have been reported to date which could be seen as a positive thing but it's actually deceptive because Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. Firstly, the author uses an appeal to authority by stating that Listeria Monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections without providing any evidence or citation for this claim. Secondly, the author uses a dichotomous depiction of healthy individuals suffering from short-term symptoms and pregnant women experiencing miscarriages and stillbirths due to Listeria infection, which is not supported by scientific evidence. Lastly, the article contains inflammatory rhetoric by stating that consumers should take back these products for a refund or discard them without providing any information on how they can do so safely.
Listeria Monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections
Consumers are urged not to consume these products
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards the company that produced the recalled products. The language used in describing Listeria Monocytogenes as a 'serious and sometimes fatal infection' may be seen as alarmist and exaggerated.
>Fresh Creative Foods, a division of Reser<u2019>s Fine Foods, Inc., is voluntarily recalling certain cremas, everything sauces, cilantro cotija dressing, poblano Caesar dressing,
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Valentino Lucio has a conflict of interest with Reser's Fine Foods, Inc. and RIZO-LPEZ FOODS, INC.
Reser's Fine Foods is the parent company of Fresh Creative Foods.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Valentino Lucio has a conflict of interest on the topic of Listeria monocytogenes as he is reporting for Reser's Fine Foods, Inc., which supplied cheese ingredient to Fresh Creative Foods. The article does not disclose this conflict.
Two people have died and 23 more were hospitalized after eating queso fresco and cojita cheese products.
Several products containing these cheeses have been recalled due to a Listeria outbreak. The hospitalizations date back to 2014, but an investigation into the outbreak was recently re-launched. In total, 26 people have gotten sick in 11 states.
Accuracy
The true number of people affected is believed to be higher than 26 due to people not getting tested for Listeria.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that the CDC re-launched an investigation into the outbreak in January after new illnesses were reported in December 2023. However, this information is incorrect as there was no investigation launched by the CDC until February 6th when all cheese and dairy products made by Rizo-Lopez were recalled.
The article states that eight of the sick cases and one death were in California. The CDC actually reports that only one case was confirmed in California.
The article states that the CDC re-launched an investigation into the outbreak in January after new illnesses were reported in December 2023. However, this information is incorrect as there was no investigation launched until February 6th when all cheese and dairy products made by Rizo-Lopez were recalled.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has investigated the outbreak in 2014, 2017, and January 2024. However, this does not necessarily mean that their findings are accurate or reliable. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric by stating that
The illnesses related to this outbreak started in 2014
Listeria is especially dangerous for people who are pregnant, older than 65 or have weakened immune systems
If you bought a recalled product, here is what the CDC recommends: Do not eat any recalled products. Throw them away or return them to where you bought them.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains a statement that implies the Listeria outbreak is ongoing and may have affected more people than reported. This suggests a bias towards sensationalism or fear-mongering.
]There may be more sick people related to this outbreak, as it typically takes 3-4 weeks to determine whether a sickness is part of an outbreak, per the CDC.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Phil Mayer has a conflict of interest on the topic of Listeria outbreak as he is reporting for Kron4 which is owned by Scripps Media. The company also owns Fresh Express and sells their products.
