Shredded Cheese Recalled for Metal Contamination

Products pulled nationwide from Walmart, Target, Aldi and others

AARP

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Published December 03, 2025

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This article was created with the assistance of generative AI. It was reviewed by editors before publication.

Great Lakes Cheese Co. Inc. is recalling shredded cheese products from more than two dozen brands sold nationwide at stores such as Walmart, Target and Aldi after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned they may contain metal fragments.

The agency considers the recall to be a Class II, meaning there is a potential, but not immediate, risk of harm. There have been no reported illnesses, deaths or hospitalizations linked to these products.The recall alert follows concerns that shredded cheese produced from a supplier’s raw material could contain small metal pieces.

The affected shredded cheese products were distributed to grocery stores throughout most of the United States — including 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, Wisconsin and Puerto Rico.

The recall includes retail packages and larger sizes often used in restaurants or institutional kitchens, covering numerous private-label and store brands commonly used at home. All items can be identified by their packaging labels, UPC codes and expiration dates.

Full list of recalled shredded cheese products

Consumers who purchased shredded mozzarella and Italian cheese blends from brands like Walmart’s Great Value, Publix and Aldi’s Happy Farms should check their packaging against the following list. For complete information — including all UPCs, package sizes and sell-by dates — visit the FDA’s official recall notice.

The FDA and retailers cited in the recall have not yet issued official instructions for consumers, but the usual advice in these situations is to discard the affected products or return them to the store for a full refund.

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