Questions about membership & benefits? Get quick answers with Ask AARP, our AI-powered assistant.

Content starts here

Shredded Cheese Recalled for Metal Contamination

Products pulled nationwide from Walmart, Target, Aldi and others

AARP

Published December 03, 2025

organic Mexican shredded cheese in a bowl

Getty Images

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.

More Ways to Benefit

View All

Related Benefit 1
Related Benefit 2
Related Benefit 3
Related Benefit 4
Related Benefit 5

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.

Always Save (Pricechopper, Hen House, Sun Save, others)

Shredded Mozzarella, 5-pound, UPC 7003865782

Borden

Shredded Mozzarella, 8-ounce, UPC 5300007162
Thick Cut Mozzarella, 8-ounce, UPC 5300007170

Brookshire’s

Finely Shredded Mozzarella, 8-ounce, UPC 9282510119
Shredded Mozzarella, 8-ounce, UPC 9282510120
Shredded Mozzarella, 32-ounce, UPC 9282510130
Italian 6-Cheese Blend, 8-ounce, UPC 9282510174

Cache Valley Creamery

Shredded Mozzarella, 8-ounce, UPC 7495802553
Six-Cheese Italian Blend, 8-ounce, UPC 7495800257

Chestnut Hill

Fancy Shredded Mozzarella, 8-ounce, UPC 3225116742

Coburn Farms (Save A Lot)

Shredded Mozzarella, 8-ounce, UPC 5193331657
Shredded Mozzarella, 12-ounce, UPC 5193321820
Shredded Mozzarella, 32-ounce, UPC 5193334257
Italian Style Blend, 12-ounce, UPC 5193365638

AARP Membership

Join AARP for only $15 per year with automatic renewal. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of benefits, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP The Magazine.

Join