Potential metal fragment contamination affects multiple brands of shredded cheese sold at Aldi, Target, and Walmart

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a significant recall involving more than one million packages of shredded cheese sold across 31 states and Puerto Rico. The recall was voluntarily initiated by Great Lakes Cheese Co., Inc., based in Hiram, Ohio, after concerns that some products could contain metal fragments that may pose a risk of internal injury if ingested.

The FDA has classified this as a Class II recall, indicating the products could lead to temporary or medically reversible health issues.

Brands and Types Included in the Recall

The largest portion of the recall involves nearly 236,000 cases of low-moisture part-skim mozzarella shredded cheese. A detailed list of affected products, including UPC codes, package sizes, and expiration dates, is available on the FDA website.

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

• Always Save low-moisture part-skim mozzarella, regular and thick-cut
• Brookshires finely shredded, regular, and thick-cut low-moisture mozzarella
• Cache Valley Creamery shredded low-moisture mozzarella
• Chestnut Hill fancy shredded low-moisture mozzarella
• Coburn Farms shredded low-moisture mozzarella
• Econo regular and finely shredded low-moisture mozzarella
• Food Lion shredded low-moisture mozzarella
• Gold Rush Creamery shredded low-moisture mozzarella
• Good & Gather fine-cut and classic low-moisture mozzarella
• Great Lakes Cheese shredded and finely shredded low-moisture mozzarella
• Happy Farms by Aldi regular, shredded, and thick low-moisture mozzarella
• Hill Country Fare shredded low-moisture mozzarella
• Know & Love fine-cut, classic-cut, thick-cut, finely shredded, and regular low-moisture mozzarella
• Lucerne Dairy Farms finely shredded, shredded, rustic-cut low-moisture mozzarella
• Nu Farm fancy shredded low-moisture mozzarella
• Publix shredded low-moisture mozzarella
• Schucks classic-cut and rustic-cut shredded low-moisture mozzarella
• Sprouts Farmers Market finely shredded and regular low-moisture mozzarella
• Stater Bros. Markets finely shredded and regular low-moisture mozzarella
• Sunnyside Farms shredded low-moisture mozzarella

Italian-Style Shredded Cheese

• Brookshires Italian 6-cheese, finely shredded
• Cache Valley Creamery 6-cheese Italian, finely shredded
• Coburn Farms Italian-style, finely shredded
• Great Value Italian-style, finely shredded
• Happy Farms by Aldi Italian-style shredded
• Know & Love Italian-style fine-cut
• Laura Lynn Italian blend, finely shredded
• Publix Italian 6-cheese blend, fancy shredded
• Simply Go Italian 6-cheese blend, fine-cut shredded

Pizza-Style Shredded Cheese

• Econo pizza shredded, finely shredded 4-cheese blend, 2-cheese blend fine-cut and regular
• Freedoms Choice pizza blend, fine-cut
• Gold Rush Creamery pizza blend, shredded
• Great Value pizza blend, shredded
• Laura Lynn pizza blend, finely shredded
• Simply Go pizza blend 2-cheese mix, classic cut shredded

Blended Shredded Cheese

• Good & Gather Mozzarella & provolone, Mozzarella & parmesan blend
• Great Lakes Cheese mozzarella & provolone blend
• Great Value provolone & mozzarella blend

Retailers and Locations

The recalled products, with sell-by dates from January to March 2026, were distributed to major retailers including Aldi, Publix, Target, and Walmart. States affected include:

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

Consumer Guidance

The FDA advises anyone who purchased these shredded cheese products to avoid consuming them and to dispose of them safely, including frozen packages. Customers may also return affected items to the store for a full refund.

Author: Riley Thompson