LOS ANGELES (August 6, 2002 6:20 p.m. EDT) -
Restaurant operator Cheesecake Factory Inc. said it has recalled cheesecakes potentially contaminated with a lethal bacteria.
The company said it found listeria monocytogenes in one batch of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake sold to the Olive Garden Italian restaurant chain. The batch could have been served in as many as 19 Olive Garden restaurants in Texas, Missouri,
Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.
Listeria can cause symptoms such as fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. The bacteria can be fatal in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. It can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths.
A serious case of listeriosis takes one to six weeks to develop, according to the FDA.
Further questions to the Factory's consumer line at (888) 290-9437.
ENDS -jonz-