FDA Warns Ohio Cheesemaker After 14 Listeria Swabs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has posted a warning letter to Ohio's Middlefield Original Cheese Cooperative, with the page marked current as of September 29, 2026. The letter, dated March 6, 2026, follows an inspection from August 12 to September 8, 2025, during which 14 of 80 environmental swabs tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Inspectors also documented a live cockroach in a cheese vat, apparent rodent excreta pellets and corroded equipment.

Key takeaways:

• FDA's Human Foods Program warning letter CMS #719761, dated March 6, 2026 and posted with a September 29, 2026 page date, found ready-to-eat cheese adulterated under FD&C Act section 402(a)(4).
• Federal inspectors collected 80 environmental swabs during production on August 12, 2025, and confirmed 14 positive results for Listeria monocytogenes.
• Documented pest infestations included a live cockroach inside a manufacturing vat, dead cockroaches, about 12 apparent rodent excreta pellets, and too-numerous-to-count ants in the break room.
• The cooperative failed to conduct required root-cause investigations, did not test sanitizer concentration, and lacked review signatures on records including raw-milk antibiotic-residue tests.

What happened

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Human Foods Program posted a warning letter (CMS #719761) dated March 6, 2026, addressed to Middlefield Original Cheese Cooperative and manager Nevin R. Byler at 16942 Kinsman Rd, Middlefield, Ohio 44062. The agency's public compliance portal marked the document as current as of September 29, 2026. The action stems from an on-site inspection conducted from August 12 through September 8, 2025, which served as an official follow-up to voluntary cheese recalls initiated by the firm earlier that summer.

During cheese production on August 12, 2025, FDA investigators took 80 environmental swabs throughout the facility. Laboratory analysis revealed that 14 of those 80 swabs were positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Because the pathogen was found in processing areas alongside multiple sanitary failures, FDA concluded that the facility's ready-to-eat cheese products were prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with filth or rendered injurious to health, rendering them adulterated under section 402(a)(4) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

For another recent cheese safety case, see Graziers Raw Milk Cheese Recall: E. coli Outbreak Sickens 13. FDA asked the cooperative to respond in writing within 15 working days with its corrective actions.

What changed

The warning letter formalizes FDA's legal determination that the cooperative repeatedly violated Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food requirements set out under 21 CFR Part 117. The letter covers environmental monitoring, equipment maintenance, records, recall planning and pest control.

Specifically, FDA cited the facility for failing to conduct environmental monitoring as required, marking a repeat violation from a prior September 2023 inspection. The firm relied on a routine of cleaning, sanitizing, and reswabbing after discovering contamination, rather than conducting the root-cause analyses or product disposition procedures mandated under 21 CFR 117.150(a)(2). Repeat Listeria positives appeared in the same locations, which FDA said showed the clean-sanitize-reswab approach was inadequate.

Inspectors also found that the plant did not test the concentration of its sanitizer. Equipment was corroded, with metal flaking off when touched. Records lacked review signatures and dates, including pasteurizer charts, metal detector logs (a repeat deviation), and screening results for raw-milk antibiotic residues spanning from January 2 through August 19, 2025.

Who is affected

This enforcement action concerns the ready-to-eat cheese facility in Middlefield, Ohio. Cheeses recalled from the plant in 2025 carried the Middlefield Original Cheese Co-op, Copia Collective, Farmers Cheese and Sunrise Creamery labels.

While the warning letter evaluated operations from the summer 2025 inspection window, the firm had already recalled cheese in 2025. The FDA-posted recall notices describe these products:

In mid-August 2025, the cooperative recalled 246.5 pounds of 100% Grass-fed Pepper Jack, 2.5 pounds of Horseradish Flavored Cheese, and 640 pounds of Monterey Jack (lot codes 251661, 2524061, 251672, and 40-pound blocks coded 7-16-25B) distributed in Ohio from July 14 to August 7, 2025. FDA lists that recall as completed and terminated.

On September 5, 2025, the cooperative recalled Organic Gouda 8 oz (sell by 2/13/2026), Sunrise Creamery Dilly Pickle Monterey Jack (6 oz and 1.25 lb, lot 253054), and 5-pound loaves or shredded bags of Mozzarella/Provolone, Colored Cheddar, Swiss, Pepper Jack, and Monterey Jack produced May 30 and August 13, 2025 and distributed in Ohio, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Texas from July 7 to August 14, 2025. Company testing found Listeria in finished product and on cutting equipment.

Listeria monocytogenes poses severe risks for vulnerable populations, including pregnant individuals, newborns, adults aged 65 and older, and people with compromised immune systems. Unlike healthy individuals who may experience short-term symptoms like high fever, severe headache, stiffness, and nausea, vulnerable groups can suffer life-threatening systemic infections, miscarriages, or stillbirths. For another recent Listeria recall, see Walmart bettergoods Lemon Alfredo Fettuccine Listeria Recall.

What it means for shoppers

For consumers, the 2025 recalls are old news on store shelves, but frozen or forgotten cheese can linger at home. If you still have a recalled Middlefield, Copia Collective, Farmers Cheese or Sunrise Creamery product, do not eat it. The recalled Organic Gouda carried a sell-by date of February 13, 2026.

Practical label-reading steps for consumers managing refrigerated pantry goods include:

• Check the brand name, size and lot code on the package against the FDA recall notices.
• Verify lot codes and sell-by dates against official FDA enforcement notices before serving artisan or co-op cheeses to high-risk family members.
• Maintain home refrigerator temperatures strictly at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius), as Listeria bacteria can continue to slowly multiply at standard refrigeration levels.
• Discard any cheese that has been subject to previous recall notices, washing and sanitizing any storage bins or refrigerator shelves that came into physical contact with the packaging.

Shoppers should always read ingredient statements, processing statements, and product origin markings. While packaging alone does not reveal sanitation records, knowing the manufacturing firm allows you to cross-reference federal compliance warnings.

The background

Middlefield Original Cheese Cooperative entered the FDA's enforcement crosshairs following voluntary recalls initiated during mid-2025. The company initially started a recall on July 21, 2025, after identifying Listeria monocytogenes in a cheese sample. When additional product samples yielded positive pathogen results, the firm initiated a second recall on August 27, 2025.

When federal investigators arrived to conduct the follow-up inspection from August 12 to September 8, 2025, they documented sanitation and pest-control problems. In addition to the 14 positive environmental swabs, inspectors documented pests:

• On August 12 and August 28, 2025, inspectors observed live and dead apparent cockroaches in the facility, including a live cockroach in the bottom of a vat, which is a food-contact surface.
• On August 13, 2025, inspectors documented approximately 12 apparent rodent excreta pellets and too-numerous-to-count ants located in the employee break room.

Moreover, the agency found that the company's written recall plan lacked mandatory procedures for notifying consignees and alerting the public, a deficiency previously brought to the co-op's attention during the September 2023 inspection.

What to watch next

Middlefield Original Cheese Cooperative was given 15 working days from receipt of the March 2026 letter to present concrete documentation verifying that its sanitation, monitoring, and recordkeeping protocols comply with federal law. If the violations are not corrected, FDA warned it may take legal action, including seizure, injunction, or suspension of the facility's food registration.

Evidence limitations exist regarding subsequent events. Public records do not disclose the specific variety of cheese being actively manufactured during the August 12, 2025 swab collection due to commercial confidentiality redactions. Furthermore, available regulatory filings do not disclose the firm's formal written response to the March 2026 warning letter, whether the facility is currently producing cheese, whether additional recalls occurred in 2026, the specific retail stores that sold the items, or whether whole-genome sequencing linked the facility's environmental Listeria strains to human clinical isolates. The recall notices stated that no illnesses had been reported to date.

Consumers should monitor future FDA enforcement updates and product alerts for any further actions involving Ohio dairy processors. Aurascan is a free beta app that breaks down ingredients one by one with evidence-based verdicts rather than a single black-box score, helping you inspect additives, allergens, and label claims clearly on every grocery run.