Vancouver Island cheese recalled because of E. coli

People are being told to check their fridge for Qualicum Spice cheese from Little Qualicum Cheeseworks.

The Vancouver Island made cheese is being recalled because it contains E. coli. Any of the Qualicum Spice Cheese with a best before date up to April 24th, 2019 is affected and should be tossed or returned.

Qualicum Spice is an unpasteurized cheese. It is distributed throughout B.C. and sold in grocery stores, farmers’ markets, wineries, restaurants and at the Little Qualicum Cheeseworks farmgate store.

Marsha Taylor with the BC Centre for Disease Control said they identified a cluster of cases of people who became ill. Five people in B.C. have been affected by an E. coli outbreak between August and October, the BCCDC said.

“We were able to go back and ask them questions and we were able to identify that a number of them had been reporting Little Qualicum Cheese – and with some specificity this Qualicum Spice cheese,” said Taylor.

Taylor says so far no one has become seriously ill but E. coli can lead to hospitalization. She is advising people not to take any chances and risk attracting the virus.

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Earlier in November, E. coli led to the recall of a sausage made by a Metro Vancouver company and in August it led to the temporary closure of a number of Metro Vancouver beaches.