FDA warns Americans in 31 states about dangerous elements that may be in their shredded cheese

The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to ensure that their shredded cheese products are not contaminated with metal fragments.

According to an FDA enforcement report, Ohio-based Great Lakes Cheese Co. — which touts itself as "an award-winning, premier manufacturer and packager of natural and processed bulk, shredded, and sliced cheeses" — initiated a recall on Oct. 3.

'Wrap it securely before putting it in the trash.'

On Dec. 1, the FDA classified the recall as Class II, which describes "a situation in which 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."

There are three classes of recall. A Class II designation is the second-most serious. The most serious, Class I, concerns situations when there is a reasonable probability that the use or exposure to a problematic product will cause adverse health consequences or death.

While Great Lake Cheese Co. made the potentially contaminated shredded cheeses, they were sold by various brands including Always Save, Borden, Brookshire's, Econo, Food Club, Happy Farms, Laura Lynn, Publix, Simply Go, Stater Bros. Markets, and Sunnyside Farms.

The bulk of the recalled cheeses were low-moisture part-skim shredded mozzarella — 235,789 cases — but a number of Italian-style and pizza-style shredded cheese blends, such as Simply Go Italian Style Six Cheese Blend, have also been recalled.

The cheeses are customarily sold at big stores such as Aldi, Target, and Walmart.

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Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The recalled cheese was distributed to Puerto Rico and the following states: 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, and Wisconsin.

Great Lakes Cheese Co. did not respond to Blaze News' request for comment.

The FDA notes on its website that consumers who suspect that they have a recalled food in their possession can generally return the items to the store where they were purchased for a full refund. The agency urges consumers not to give the potentially contaminated product to others such as a food bank or a pet and noted that if chucking the recalled product, consumers should "wrap it securely before putting it in the trash."

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