The Ministry of Health has published three recall notices for Valtellina Casera DOP, the raw milk cheese from the province of Sondrio, due to the presence of Escherichia coli STEC. The notices are dated October 8 and all concern the same lot. The products, however, are different: the first is a portioned cheese under the Zanetti brand, the other two are whole wheels sold without the brand, and one of these has already passed its expiry date.
Valtellina Casera DOP under the Zanetti brand
The first notice concerns cheese sold under the Zanetti brand in pieces of approximately 2 kilos. The notice indicates Zanetti SpA as the manufacturer, with a factory in via Madonna 1 in Lallio, in the province of Bergamo (identification mark IT 03 146 UE).
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The lot is 220726, with five expiration dates: 10/27/26, 11/4/26, 11/30/26, 12/7/26 and 12/21/26.
The two unbranded shapes
The other two notices concern whole wheels marketed again by Zanetti but without a commercial trademark (the wording «No Brand» appears in the ministerial sheet). The producer in this case is another. This is the Negrini Agricultural Company of Negrini Vanessa, which has its factory in via Pizzo Scalino 14 in Caspoggio, in the province of Sondrio (IT P3T6V UE identification mark). The lot is always 220726, with the first form expiring on 7/24/27.
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The second form instead shows the date of 12/10/26 and is therefore already expired. The ministry included it in the recall anyway. Anyone who purchased it in recent days and still has part of it must return it.
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Why the cheese was recalled
The reason is the presence of Escherichia coli STEC. The acronym indicates the strains of the bacterium that produce Shiga toxin. In adults, the infection usually causes simple gastrointestinal disorders, while in young children it can instead evolve into hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), a rare disease which, according to the Higher Institute of Health, is the leading cause of acute renal failure in children.
What to do if you bought it
The cheese with the batch and expiry dates indicated must not be consumed and must be returned to the point of sale where it was purchased, in order to obtain a refund.
