The Region : Charges Sought in Illegal Cheese Sales

The Los Angeles County health department says it will ask the city attorney to prosecute 22 markets for selling illegally manufactured Mexican-style cheese in Los Angeles. The markets were unable to document the source of cheese that was improperly labeled, said William Ward, environmental services director for the department. Spot checks were conducted at 1,522 markets Sept. 14 and 15 after the discovery of deadly Listeria monocytogenes bacteria in a brand of illegally made soft cheese sold at a Vermont Avenue store. Ward declined to identify the stores he has recommended for prosecution. Listeriosis was responsible for a 1985 Southern California epidemic that caused 84 deaths and stillbirths, 40 of which were linked to tainted cheese.