Huge recall of shredded cheese sold at Aldi, Target,…

Huge recall of shredded cheese sold at Aldi, Target, Walmart amid metal fragment concerns

Over 260,000 cases of shredded cheese sold at major retailers including Aldi, Target and Walmart are being recalled because the products may contain metal fragments, according to a Food and Drug Administration report.

The big picture: Great Lakes Cheese Co., a manufacturer based in Hiram, Ohio, initiated a voluntary recall in early October for the cheeses that are sold in 31 states and Puerto Rico, and the FDA reclassified the designation from a "Class 1" to a "Class 2" recall on Monday, per the FDA report.

That means the "use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote," according to the agency.
The FDA's alert follows an announcement by the New Jersey-based distributor Ambriola Company last week that it was recalling some of its products after "routine testing confirmed the presence of Listeria."

State of play: The recall affects a variety of cheese products, including Italian style, pizza style, mozzarella, mozzarella and provolone and mozzarella and parmesan, with various sell-by dates in February and March 2026.

Great Lakes Cheese Co. said in a statement emailed Thursday that a supplier of low-moisture part-skim Mozzarella cheese "notified us that they were recalling cheese they had supplied to us due to foreign material" in early October.
The company "immediately isolated the affected raw material" in its facilities, taking action to "remove packaged goods containing this item and instructing retailers to remove the products from store shelves," per the statement.
"All recalled products have been removed from markets and replaced with new products. Further, the products currently on retail shelves are safe to consume and not associated with the October recall," the statement added.
"While the status of the recall is marked as ongoing in the enforcement report, our records show all product has been fully removed from store shelves."

What products are being recalled?

By the numbers: A low-moisture part-skim mozzarella shredded cheese represents the largest portion of the recall, with 235,789 cases being recalled.

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 and Happy Farms by Aldi are among the brands affected by this.
The others are: 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.

Zoom in: The FDA is recalling:

15,490 cases of Italian style shredded cheese blend, with affected brands listed as: Brookshire's, Cache Valley Creamery, Coburn Farms, Great Value, Happy Farms by Aldi, Know & Love, Laura Lynn, Publix and Simply Go.

4,298 cases of pizza-style shredded cheese blend.

Affected brands: Econo, Food Club Pizza Style Two Cheese Blend, Gold Rush Creamery Pizza Blend, Great Value Pizza Blend - Shredded, Laura Lynn Pizza Blend - Finely Shredded and Simply Go Pizza Blend Two Cheese Mix - Classic Cut Shredded.

4,131 cases of mozzarella and provolone shredded cheese.

Affected brands: Freedom's Choice Pizza Blend, Good & Gather Mozzarella & Provolone, Great Lakes Cheese Mozzarella & Provolone and Great Value Provolone & Mozzarella Blend.

1,900 cases of Happy Farms by Aldi Italian Style shredded cheese blend.

1,850 cases of Good & Gather mozzarella & parmesan shredded cheese blend.

117 cases of Food Club finely shredded pizza-style four-cheese blend.