PHILADELPHIA – Dietz & Watson, a leading processor of premium deli meat and cheese, announced it will be cutting ties with cheese supplier, Deutsch Kase Haus following the company’s recall of cheese products that may contain Listeria monocytogenes. Earlier in February, two Dietz & Watson products – Colby and Colby Jack cheeses for service deli – produced by Middlebury, Indiana-based Deutsch Kase Haus, were voluntarily recalled because of the potential for contamination.
“We are known as a preparer and purveyor of premium items, so we will make proper adjustments to our business relationships whenever anything happens that brings that premium and gourmet quality into question,” said Louis Eni, the company’s CEO who represents the third-generation family member leading Dietz & Watson. “They only made these two products for us and we are working on a partnership with another cheese maker to begin supplying us with improved items. After an intense search and extensive sampling, we are just about ready to make the choice of a new Colby supplier, and we are really excited to begin working with them.”
Most of Dietz & Watson branded products are prepared at its Philadelphia and Baltimore facilities, however, some specialty items like the two Colby products are sourced through third-party suppliers including Deutsch Kase Haus.
There has never been a recall of any Dietz & Watson-produced product.
The discovery of potential contamination from Listeria at Deutsch Kase Haus has prompted a number of recalls, ranging from such well-known processors as Sargento Foods, Inc. to such retailers as Meijer, Inc.
Sargento Foods, Plymouth, Wisconsin, initiated its original recall on Feb. 10 of sliced and shredded cheeses that may have been processed on the same line at Deutsch Kase Haus where Listeria contamination was identified. On Feb. 17, Sargento expanded the recall to include several additional varieties of value-added cheese. The company also announced it had ended its relationship with Deutsche Kase Haus.
Other companies affected by the recall include Dutch Valley Food Distributors, Myerstown, Pennsylvainia; Meijer, Inc., Grand Rapids, Michigan; MDS Foods, Inc., Massillon, Ohio; Saputo, Inc., Montreal; Biery Cheese Co., Louisville, Ohio; Guggisberg Cheese, Inc., Millersburg, Ohio; and Country Fresh LLC, Conroe, Texas.
The Food and Drug Administration is currently investigating the source of the contamination and the number of additional products that may be affected.
