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.

Contact us here.

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Regards,

Production Manager