Schreiber Foods, a cream cheese manufacturer, has issued a voluntary recall for select cream cheese spreads distributed to multiple stores and sold in 30 states and Washington, D.C. due to a potential risk of salmonella contamination. The recall, which was announced on May 7, comes after Schreiber Foods was informed by one of its suppliers that an ingredient used in several cream cheese spread formulas could contain salmonella.
The recalled products were sold at Aldi and Hy-Vee stores, among other retailers. Aldi has recalled Happy Farms Whipped Cream Cheese Spread, Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread, Cream Cheese Spread, and Strawberry Cream Cheese Spread products sold at select stores in 28 states and Washington, D.C. These states include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Hy-Vee, on the other hand, is recalling two varieties of its Hy-Vee Cream Cheese Spread as well as its bulk-packaged Cookies & Cream Mix. These products were distributed to Hy-Vee, Hy-Vee Drugstore, and Dollar Fresh Market locations, as well as Hy-Vee Fast and Fresh convenience stores in eight states.
While no cases of illness related to this incident have been reported to Schreiber Foods, the company has advised customers who purchased any of the affected items to discard the product or return it to the store for a full refund. Aldi and Hy-Vee have provided specific product information, including UPC codes and sell-by dates, to help consumers identify the recalled items.
Salmonella is a bacteria that causes approximately 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the United States every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Symptoms of salmonella infection typically include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps, which can begin six hours to six days after infection and last 4-7 days. Most people recover without specific treatment, but in severe cases, hospitalization may be necessary.
In total, 30 states and Washington, D.C. have stores that are affected by the recall. While the majority of the recalled cream cheese spreads were sold at Aldi, there was an overlap of both Aldi and Hy-Vee stores in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
Schreiber Foods was also involved in a cream cheese recall initiated earlier this month, according to multiple retailers. Those recalled items included cream cheeses sold at Hy-Vee and Hornbacher's markets, with a representative for Hy-Vee confirming that Schreiber was the supplier of the affected products, and Hornbacher's identifying Schreiber as the supplier in a recall notice on its website. A representative for Schnucks, another Midwest chain, also told Nexstar that it had recalled cream cheese products provided by Schreiber Foods, and added that Schreiber identified a whey protein concentrate as the ingredient associated with the potential contamination.
Consumers who may have purchased the recalled items are advised to return the products for a full refund or dispose of them properly. The CDC urges consumers to contact a health care provider if they believe they may have symptoms of a salmonella infection.
