Super U Orthez Ossau-Iraty Cheese Recall: Listeria Warning

In a peaceful part of south-west France, a well-known regional cheese has unexpectedly prompted a significant food safety warning.

Health officials have issued a specific alert concerning a batch of sheep’s milk cheese sold by one Super U supermarket, following a warning of possible Listeria contamination. Anyone who visited the shop in recent weeks is being advised to check their refrigerator thoroughly.

A routine shop that may require a second look

In Béarn, beneath the Pyrenees, portions of Ossau-Iraty sheep’s cheese are a regular feature of family meals and weekend cheese boards. For many households in the area, picking some up from the fresh-food counter is an almost automatic part of the weekly shop.

However, a particular batch sold at the Super U in Orthez (postcode 64300) has been recalled after testing identified concerns over potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, the bacterium responsible for listeriosis.

French authorities have issued a recall for a batch of unbranded Ossau-Iraty sheep’s cheese sold in plastic-wrapped portions at the Super U in Orthez.

The notice appeared in early March 2026 on Rappel Conso, France’s official consumer recall website. The issue relates to just one lot, but customers may not readily identify it in their homes because the cheese was sold in cut, plastic-wrapped portions with no identifiable consumer brand.

How to know if your cheese is affected

People who bought sliced or portioned Ossau-Iraty from the Orthez Super U between mid-February and early March should examine the product label.

The recalled product has the following details:

• Product: Ossau-Iraty sheep’s cheese, unbranded for the consumer, sold as plastic-wrapped portions at the fresh counter.
• Lot number: 502194.
• GTIN code: 0204944000000.
• Use-by date: 25/05/2026.
• Point of sale: Super U Orthez (64300), fresh food section.
• Sales period: from 14 February 2026 to 4 March 2026.
• Recall end date: procedure in place until 25 May 2026.

If the label on your Ossau-Iraty portion shows lot 502194 with a use-by date of 25 May 2026, you should not eat it.

Cheese carrying these details is included in the recall, regardless of whether it appears, smells or tastes normal. Listeria contamination does not always alter a food’s appearance, flavour or odour.

What to do if you have this batch at home

Both the health authorities and the retailer tell customers not to eat the product in any circumstances. This guidance remains relevant even where somebody has already eaten a slice and experienced no immediate symptoms.

Immediate practical steps

• Find any Ossau-Iraty portions bought from Super U Orthez between 14 February and 4 March 2026.
• Look at the label for the lot number and use-by date.
• Where it states lot 502194 and use-by 25/05/2026, do not taste it “just to see”.
• Package the cheese securely, preferably in another bag or container, to prevent cross-contamination in the refrigerator or kitchen bin.
• Keep it away from other food until it can be returned.

Super U Orthez will refund affected portions returned to the shop by 25 May 2026. A receipt is not required for reimbursement. For queries, the supermarket has supplied the following telephone number: +33 (0)5 59 69 30 31.

Do not throw the cheese away immediately if you intend to seek a refund; isolate it, package it well, and take it back to the store.

Why Listeria in cheese is taken so seriously

The recall was launched after tests suggested a possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes. This organism causes listeriosis, a foodborne illness that may be especially serious for some people.

Symptoms may develop several days, or even several weeks, after contaminated food has been eaten. Incubation can last for as long as eight weeks, so a person who consumed the cheese in late February may not become unwell until April.

Typical symptom	What people report
Fever	Often moderate, sometimes with chills
Headaches	Persistent or unusual, sometimes with neck stiffness
Muscle aches	Generalised aches and fatigue
Digestive issues	Nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea in some cases

Among healthy adults, listeriosis may look like flu or a brief episode of gastroenteritis. The risks become considerably greater for those whose immune systems are less robust.

Those at greatest risk are:

• Pregnant women, for whom infection can seriously affect the baby even if the mother feels only mildly ill.
• Elderly people.
• Individuals with weakened immune defences, such as those undergoing chemotherapy or taking immunosuppressant medication.
• Newborns and very young infants.

Anyone in a vulnerable group who ate the recalled cheese and now feels unwell should seek medical advice without delay, even if the symptoms seem mild.

When to call a doctor, and what to mention

French health officials recommend that anyone who ate the affected Ossau-Iraty and subsequently develops fever, headaches, muscle pain or unexplained tiredness contacts a doctor and raises the possibility of listeriosis.

Pregnant women in particular are advised to act cautiously. A mild fever or flu-like symptoms following the consumption of higher-risk foods, including soft or semi-soft cheeses, should be reported to a healthcare professional.

When telephoning or attending a medical appointment, it is useful to provide the following information:

• The product name (Ossau-Iraty sheep’s cheese purchased at Super U Orthez).
• The lot number and use-by date, if these are still available.
• The approximate date on which the cheese was consumed.
• A precise account of any current symptoms and their start date.

Why Ossau-Iraty and other cheeses can be a risk

Ossau-Iraty is a traditional protected cheese from the Pyrenees made from ewe’s milk. According to its production and maturation process, it can belong to a group of foods in which Listeria may survive and, under certain circumstances, multiply.

Listeria presents food safety teams with several particular difficulties:

• It withstands cold conditions and may grow slowly in a refrigerator.
• It can remain undetected in ready-to-eat items including cheese, cold meats and smoked fish.
• It seldom changes the contaminated food’s smell, colour or taste.

Unlike many bacteria, Listeria can keep multiplying even at typical fridge temperatures, which is why use-by dates on chilled foods matter.

This should not be taken to mean that every Ossau-Iraty cheese, or every soft cheese, contains Listeria. Producers throughout Europe follow strict hygiene procedures, while recalls are intended to identify problems at an early stage before widespread outbreaks develop.

Reducing your risk from Listeria at home

Food safety specialists regularly advise several simple precautions, particularly for pregnant women, older people and individuals living with chronic health conditions.

• Keep the refrigerator at 4°C or below and check its temperature from time to time.
• Follow use-by dates for chilled, ready-to-eat food, including sliced cheese and deli meats.
• Clean hands, knives and chopping boards carefully after preparing raw ingredients.
• Prevent cross-contamination between raw food and items intended to be eaten cold.
• If there is uncertainty over how long an item has been open, it is safer to dispose of it.

Certain higher-risk groups may also be advised to avoid some products altogether, including unpasteurised cheeses, refrigerated pâtés, and pre-packed sandwiches containing soft cheese or cold meats. Healthcare professionals can adapt this guidance to individual risk factors.

What this recall means for everyday shoppers

The Super U Orthez incident is geographically restricted and concerns a single, identified batch. Even so, it illustrates how recalls operate and why checking label details is important, including on an everyday product such as a portion of cheese wrapped at the counter.

For shoppers, the essential steps are clear: confirm the lot number, stop consuming cheese that matches the recall, return it for a refund, and seek medical advice if worrying symptoms develop. More broadly, taking recall notices seriously and recognising terms such as “Listeria monocytogenes” and “listeriosis” may have an important effect on household health, particularly for the most vulnerable members of the family.