Whole Foods recalling Maytag blue cheese

Whole Foods Market (WFM) announced on Tuesday that it is recalling Maytag Raw Milk Blue Cheese nationally.

The upscale grocery retailer said in a statement that the cheese could be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, but that, so far, no illnesses have been reported in connection with this recall.

The contamination was found in Maytag's cheese through testing in Iowa. Liz Burkhart, a spokeswoman for Whole Foods, told CNBC on Tuesday that it issued the recall "out of an abundance of caution."

"At Whole Foods Market, customer safety comes first. All Maytag Raw Milk Blue Cheese product has been removed from store shelves and destroyed, and in-store signage has been posted to inform customers," she said.

Maytag Dairy Farms has chosen to suspend its operations while it works with the Food and Drug Administration and the state of Iowa to determine the source of the contamination.

Symptoms of Listeria monocytogenes infection include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. People with weak immune systems, young children, and the elderly may be susceptible to fatal infections. It can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women.

Whole Foods advised customers who purchased the cheese to dispose of it, adding that they may bring their receipt into a store for a full refund.

Maytag Dairy Farms did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comment.

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