see also: in June 2007 News Releases:   CBP, ATF Join Canadians in Launching Firearms Public Information Campaign Along U.S.-Canadian Border   Marijuana-Embedded Bricks Crumble at El Paso Port   CBP Officers Discover Exotic Birds at California Border Station   U.S., New Zealand Establish Joint Trade Security Arrangement   CBP Reminds Pleasure Boaters of Reporting Requirements When Returning from Foreign Locations   California CBP Officers Find Smuggled Persons in Truck Engine Compartment ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

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Laredo, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Food and Drug Administration advised the public of the potential health risks of consuming Mexican-style soft cheese made from unpasteurized milk in light of multiple seizures of commercial quantities of cheese at the Laredo, Texas port.

In recent months, CBP officers and agriculture specialists have seized undeclared cheese from passengers in commercial quantities, up to several hundred pound amounts. Sampling of these cheeses has revealed microorganisms that may pose potential health risks.

Among the most serious microorganisms known to occur in cheese made from unpasteurized milk are Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, Staphylococcal enterotoxin and Staphylococcus aureus, and E. coli, an indicator of insanitation. Would-be cheese smugglers often try to hide unrefrigerated cheese under seats or in compartments of vehicles, creating a ripe breeding ground for microorganisms.

Pregnant women are encouraged NOT to eat Mexican soft cheese like Queso Fresco, Panela, Asadero or Queso Blanco unless they are sure the cheese is made from pasteurized milk. The disease can potentially cause spontaneous abortion in pregnant women. Listeriosis is a disease that has been associated with the consumption of soft cheese made from unpasteurized milk. This kind of cheese is being seized by CBP at the port.

Travelers making entry into the U.S. are permitted to bring in personal-use quantities of cheese, not more than five kilograms (10 pounds) for their own consumption. In order to legally bring in quantities in excess of 10 pounds, a commercial entry must be made and the importation must comply with all federal laws and regulations. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in fines, seizure of the cheese and seizure of the vehicle.

"CBP officers and agriculture specialists working together with our partners at FDA are concerned about the recent spike in seizures of commercial quantities of cheese and are advising the public of the importation requirements and the potential health risks posed by consuming unpasteurized cheese that people attempt to sneak across the border," said Gene Garza, CBP Port Director, Laredo.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.