Health officials examining cheese sold at Cheese Magic

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A Kensington Market cheese shop is being investigated after a customer alleged that she got listeriosis from soft cheese purchased in the store.

The customer, a pregnant woman, said she bought the cheese at Cheese Magic at 182 Baldwin St., after which she became infected with the illness and passed it on to her baby.

Cheese Magic owner Ping Chiu said she was forced to throw out $1,000 worth of soft cheese and has had to pull several other products off her shelves.

"My guys had to throw out a lot of cheese, but we're waiting to hear from the health inspectors about how serious the condition is or if it was our cheese that caused (the customer's listeriosis,)" she said.

Health inspectors have taken four samples of cheese from the store for testing, and Chiu said she was told to expect results of those tests by next Tuesday.

The store owner acknowledged that she does sell one of two kinds of cheese linked to a listeriosis outbreak in Quebec, but said she takes precautions with her products.

"Soft cheeses are always kept in a cooler," she said, adding she had hoped to take extra steps to limit possible infection once allegations of listerosis-tainted cheese around.

"I was going to get a new cooler, but I've been held up here (since the allegations surfaced)," she said.

Chiu said she hopes the customer is not severely affected by the illness, and while she is hopeful that the listeriosis infection is not linked to her store, she noted that her store has already been seriously impacted.

"There's been $1,000 of cheese thrown out and that's going to be my loss," she said.

A spokesperson from Toronto Public Health could not be immediately reached for comment.