Shredded cheese recall update: Great Lakes Cheese responds to FDA report on metal fragments in products

"Back in early October, a company called Great Lakes Cheese Co of Hiram, Ohio, reportedly issued a large-scale recall that impacted a range of shredded cheese products. The recall was initiated after Great Lakes Cheese was informed by one of its suppliers that some of its "Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella" may have been contaminated with a foreign material-in this case, metal fragments."

"The consumption of metal fragments could obviously cause internal injuries to anyone eating the cheese products, posing a health risk. In response to an inquiry from Fast Company, Great Lakes Cheese said that it immediately identified the affected "raw material" at its facilities back in October, and that it instructed retailers to remove any affected products from store shelves. Yet despite this recall happening in October, the information wasn't widely shared with the public at the time."

"On December 2, the FDA published an enforcement report on the October 3 shredded cheese recall. In that report, the agency announced that it was classifying the voluntary recall as a Class II recall and listed the recall as "Ongoing." The FDA classifies recalls into three categories. Per the FDA: Class I: a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death."

Great Lakes Cheese Co. of Hiram, Ohio initiated a large recall in early October affecting a range of shredded cheese products after a supplier warned that some Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella may contain metal fragments. Consumption of metal fragments can cause internal injuries and pose a health risk. The company identified the affected raw material at its facilities and instructed retailers to remove affected products from shelves. The recall involved more than a quarter of a million cases and was voluntary. The FDA published an enforcement report on December 2, classifying the recall as an ongoing Class II recall.

Read at Fast Company