Recall Affects Shredded and Grated Cheeses Nationwide

Two recalls are affecting shredded and grated cheese products throughout the United States.

One recall involves hundreds of thousands of containers of shredded mozzarella and multi-cheese blends, while the second recall affects several brands of grated Pecorino Romano.

Both recalls are sold by major retailers in over twelve states. 

Shredded Cheese Recall

Great Lakes Cheese, based in Ohio, recalled seven kinds of shredded cheese products in early October because they may contain fragments of metal.

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) upgraded the recall’s risk classification to the second-highest Class II, stating consumption of the product could cause “temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences.”

Nationwide retailers including Target, Walmart, Publix, and Aldi have sold the recalled cheeses under a variety of brand names.

This recall is affecting 31 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin — and also Puerto Rico.

The recalled bags include:

• Low-moisture, part-skim shredded mozzarella from the following brands: Always Save, Borden, Brookshire’s, Cache Valley Creamery, Chestnut Hill, Coburn Farms, Econo, Food Club, Food Lion, Gold Rush Creamery, Good & Gather, Great Lakes Cheese, Happy Farms by Aldi, H-E-B, Hill Country Fare, Know & Love, Laura Lynn, Lucerne Dairy Farms, Nu Farm, Publix, Schnuck’s, Simply Go, Sprouts Farmers Market, Stater Bros. Markets and Sunnyside Farms.
• Italian-style shredded cheese blend under these brand names: Brookshire’s, Cache Valley Creamery, Coburn Farms, Great Value, Happy Farms by Aldi, Know & Love, Laura Lynn, Publix and Simply Go.
• Shredded pizza-style cheese blend from Econo, Food Club, Great Value, Gold Rush Creamery, Laura Lynn and Simply Go.
• Mozzarella and provolone shredded cheese blend from Freedom’s Choice, Good & Gather, Great Lakes Cheese and Great Value, as well as a mozzarella and Parmesan blend from Good & Gather. 

Pecorino Romano recall

The second recall comes from the Ambriola Company, a New Jersey-based cheese distributor, that announced it was recalling some products after testing confirmed the presence of listeria.

While no illnesses had been reported, products processed at that same facility were recalled out of an abundance of caution.

The recalled products are sold under the brand names Ambriola, Locatelli, Pinna, Boar’s Head and Member’s Mark in both plastic containers and bags. See all product labels here. The products were reportedly distributed up to 27 states. 

Wegmans Food Markets also issued a recall of Locatelli-brand Pecorino Romano, though these were sold mostly on the East Coast and does not affect any West Coast states. 

Listeria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

FDA advises consumers to throw away or return any of the affected cheese products.