Wisconsin And Minnesota Both Hit By Massive Cheese Recall

A product found in a good majority of homes across Minnesota and Wisconsin is being recalled by the Food and Drug Administration after concerns that debris could be present in the packaging.

The FDA says the material could cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences, which is the kind of phrase that makes every shopper clutch their grocery bag a little tighter.

READ MORE: Shoppers Are Finding A Surprise Waiting At Tree Lots Around Minnesota

Cheese Recall Hits Minnesota and Wisconsin Stores

More than 1 million bags of shredded cheese sold at Minnesota and Wisconsin retailers like Target, Walmart, and Aldi are included in the recall. The affected bags appear under familiar brand names such as Good and Gather, Great Value, and Happy Farms. Despite the variety of labels, they all came from the same manufacturer in Ohio.

Great Lakes Cheese Co. Identified as Source

Great Lakes Cheese Co. is the company behind the impacted products. The recall was prompted by the possibility that metal fragments could be present in some of the shredded cheese bags.

Get our free mobile app

The largest portion of the recall covers 236,000 cases of low moisture part skim mozzarella shredded cheese, a staple in many kitchens for pizza nights, casseroles, and those late winter comfort meals that get us through the long Minnesota cold.

Other cheeses included in the recall cover a wide range of styles. That list includes 15,000 cases of Italian style, 4,300 cases of pizza style, 4,000 cases of mozzarella and provolone, and thousands of additional cases. The affected products have sell by dates ranging from late January through late March.

What to Do if You Have These Products

If you discover that you purchased any of these cheese products, the FDA recommends throwing them away immediately. Continued consumption could pose a risk, even if the cheese looks normal. For many families in Minnesota and Wisconsin, shredded cheese is practically a food group, so it is worth taking a moment to check your fridge before you whip up dinner.

For the complete list of recalled cheeses and the brand names involved, you can view the FDA’s official notice on their website. Staying aware of recalls like this helps keep households safe, especially when the product is something as common as the cheese we toss into nearly everything from tacos to tater tot hotdish.