The Needfulness of Digital Link

Posted December 2, 2025

My favorite recipe website just alerted its readership to an important FDA recall of shredded cheese.

More than 1.5 million bags of cheese produced by Great Lakes Cheese Company may be contaminated with metal fragments. This is a Class II FDA recall—the cheese may cause temporary or medically reversible health consequences.

The recall was the easy part. Here comes the hard part. The affected cheese includes these brands and types:

Always Save Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Borden Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Borden Thick Cut Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Brookshire’s Finely Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Brookshire’s Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Brookshire’s Thick Cut Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Cache Valley Creamery Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Chestnut Hill Fancy Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Coburn Farms Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Econo Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Food Club Finely Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Food Club Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Food Lion Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Gold Rush Creamery Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Good & Gather Fine Cut Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Good & Gather Classic Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Great Lakes Cheese Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Great Lakes Cheese Finely Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Happy Farms by Aldi Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
H-E-B Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
H-E-B Thick Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
H-E-B Shredded/Fancy Finamente Rallado Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Hill Country Fare Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Know & Love Fine Cut Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Know & Love Classic Cut Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Know & Love Thick Cut Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Laura Lynn Finely Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Laura Lynn Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Laura Lynn Thick Cut Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Lucerne Dairy Farms Finely Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Lucerne Dairy Farms Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Lucerene Dairy Farms Rustic Cut Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Nu Farm Fancy Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Pubix Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Schuck’s Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Simply Go Classic Cut Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Simply Go Rustic Cut Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Sprouts Farmers Market Finely Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Sprouts Farmers Market Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Statre Bros. Markets Finely Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Stater Bros. Markets Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Sunnyside Farms Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese

Shredded Italian-Style Cheese

Happy Farms by Aldi Italian-Style Shredded Cheese
Brookshire’s Italian 6 Cheese Finely Shredded
Cache Valley Creamery Six Cheese Italian Finely Shredded
Coburn Farms Italian Style Finely Shredded
Great Value Italian Style Finely Shredded
Know & Love Italian Style Fine Cut
Laura Lynn Italian Blend Finely Shredded
Publix Italian Six Cheese Blend Fancy Shredded
Simply Go Italian Style Six Cheese Blend Fine Cut Shredded

Shredded Pizza-Style Cheese

Food Club Finely Shredded Pizza Style Four Cheese Blend
Econo Pizza Shredded
Food Club Pizza Style Two Cheese Blend Finely Shredded
Food Club Pizza Style Two Cheese Blend Shredded
Gold Rush Creamery Pizza Blend Shredded
Great Value Pizza Blend Shredded
Laura Lynn Pizza Blend Finely Shredded
Simply Go Pizza Blend Two Cheese Mix Classic Cut Shredded

Mozzarella and Provolone Shredded Cheese Blend

Freedom’s Choice Pizza Blend Fine-Cut
Good & Gather Mozzarella & Provolone Classic
Great Lakes Cheese Mozzarella & Provolone Shredded
Great Value Provolone & Mozzarella Blend Shredded

Mozzarella and Parmesan Shredded Cheese Blend

Good & Gather Mozzarella & Parmesan Shredded Cheese Blend

A full list of products, UPCs, and best-by dates can be found on the FDA’s site.

The affected cheese was sold in 31 states and Puerto Rico.

It’s Not a Secret, but…

People who don’t subscribe to the FDA’s notification system will not know about this. Neither will people who don’t subscribe to a certain recipe website. And if you do find out in time, how realistic is it that you will take a look in the ‘fridge for one or more of these 62 packages, in the rush of putting dinner on the table on a week night?

GS1 Digital Link barcodes will be a game-changer. The QR Code connects each package in real time to online product data. The barcode contains lot numbers, production dates and supplier details. This makes it quick and easy for consumers to scan the barcode to check whether the product has been recalled. Instantly.

It also simplifies life for retailers to flag and quarantine affected items in inventory and at checkout. No delays, no human errors.

That “ugly” barcode could save your life.

FDA, FDA Recall, GS1 Digital Link