A Listeria outbreak tied to requesón, a soft fresh cheese widely used in Hispanic cooking, has quietly spread across four states since 2023 — and the demographic pattern in the confirmed cases signals that targeted outreach to Hispanic communities is urgently needed.
As of June 24, 2026, the CDC confirmed 12 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes in Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Virginia. Ten of the 12 have been hospitalized. One person — from Maryland — has died. Of the 10 patients who provided demographic information, 9 identified as Hispanic — consistent with requesón's role as a staple cheese in many Hispanic households, where it is often purchased directly from farmers markets and small specialty retailers rather than major chain grocery stores.
