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Health authorities in France and the ECDC have linked 25 confirmed listeriosis infections, including two deaths in France, to pasteurised soft cow\u2019s\u2011 and goat\u2019s\u2011milk cheeses produced by Chavegrand; recalls and cross\u2011border tracing are under way amid warnings that affected batches were exported across Europe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Twenty-five people across Europe have been confirmed infected in a multi\u2011country outbreak of listeriosis linked to pasteurised soft cheeses produced by a French firm, and two deaths in France have been reported in connection with the cluster. French public health authorities and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have identified the implicated products as soft cow\u2019s\u2011 and goat\u2019s\u2011milk cheeses supplied by Chavegrand, prompting recalls and warnings that the contamination may have reached consumers outside France, including the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n
According to Sant\u00e9 Publique France, investigators and the Institut Pasteur\u2019s National Listeria Reference Centre linked a cluster of 21 cases in France \u2014 affecting people aged between 34 and 95, and including two fatalities \u2014 to cheeses bearing the health mark FR 23.117.001; Chavegrand has recalled all batches produced before 23 June 2025 and temporarily halted distribution from the implicated production line. Reuters and other reporting noted that the cheese was sold under multiple commercial brands, which complicated tracing and prompted broad recalls.<\/p>\n
Public\u2011health agencies say the contamination was not confined to France. Officials have notified that confirmed infections have also been recorded in Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway, and investigators estimate the potentially affected cheeses were exported to as many as around 30 countries. Many of the non\u2011French patients reported eating pasteurised soft cheese before falling ill, which strengthened the epidemiological link to the Chavegrand products.<\/p>\n
Health authorities say most French cases occurred since June 2025, although the cluster spans back to December 2024, illustrating the long and variable incubation of listeriosis. Sant\u00e9 Publique France\u2019s notice gives an incubation window of up to eight weeks and describes the affected French patients as ranging widely in age; other summaries paint a similar picture of infection among older adults and people with pre\u2011existing conditions.<\/p>\n
Public\u2011health bodies have emphasised who is at greatest risk and what action to take. The ECDC and French officials warn that pregnant people, older adults and those with weakened immune systems face the highest risk of invasive disease, and they advise anyone who has eaten the implicated cheeses and develops symptoms \u2014 fever, severe headache, muscle aches, chills, nausea or diarrhoea \u2014 to seek medical advice promptly. The ECDC has also stressed that \u201cfor the population in good general health status, the overall risk is estimated to be very low.\u201d<\/p>\n
To put the outbreak in context, listeriosis is a foodborne infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes that disproportionately causes severe illness in vulnerable groups. European and US public\u2011health sources note that the bacterium is commonly associated with ready\u2011to\u2011eat foods, unpasteurised dairy and soft cheeses, and although contamination of pasteurised products is uncommon, it can occur and has serious consequences when it does. Surveillance data published by the UK Health Security Agency for 2024 reported 179 confirmed cases in England and Wales and 28 deaths among non\u2011pregnancy associated cases, underscoring the continuing public\u2011health impact of listeriosis.<\/p>\n
Investigations remain under way to determine whether any other products or production steps contributed to the cluster; authorities say laboratory and trace\u2011back work led them to Chavegrand\u2019s production, but they continue to probe supply chains and commercial brands that carried the affected batches. The company\u2019s recall and the temporary closure of the implicated line are precautionary measures while cross\u2011border tracing proceeds and recalls are implemented by distributors.<\/p>\n
For consumers, authorities reiterate routine food\u2011safety precautions \u2014 rigorous refrigeration, strict adherence to use\u2011by dates, and careful handling of ready\u2011to\u2011eat products \u2014 and targeted messaging to vulnerable groups. Public\u2011health agencies say rapid reporting by clinicians and laboratories, together with clear communication from producers and retailers, remain essential to contain outbreaks when they cross borders and to protect those at highest risk.<\/p>\n