A sweeping food-safety recall involving shredded cheese sold at Walmart, Target, Aldi and dozens of other retailers has expanded across 31 states and Puerto Rico, after regulators confirmed the products may contain metal fragments. The US Food and Drug Administration classified the action on Dec. 1 as an active recall and said the effort, initiated by Great Lakes Cheese Co., now encompasses more than 1.5 million bags of cheese distributed nationwide.
The Ohio-based manufacturer began pulling products as early as Oct. 3, triggering what regulators describe as a "downstream recall," meaning contamination originated in a supplier's raw material before spreading into multiple finished product lines. The breadth of the retail network, combined with the variety of brands affected, has created a large-scale, multi-channel retrieval effort that continues to unfold nearly two months after the first notices were issued.
Great Lakes Cheese Co. did not issue a public press release, according to FDA records, though it notified retailers directly at the time the issue was discovered. That absence of a public statement has contributed to a lag in consumer awareness, raising concern that many households may still have contaminated bags in their refrigerators. The affected items carry sell-by dates spanning January through March 2026.
Regulators said the recall covers roughly 263,000 cases, with each case containing multiple bags. The bulk of the products are mozzarella or mozzarella-based mixes, though the recall also includes Italian blends, pizza cheeses and several private-label shredded varieties. The list of impacted brands is long and includes Always Save, Borden, Brookshire's, Cache Valley Creamery, Coburn Farms, Great Value, Happy Farms, Food Club, Econo, Gold Rush Creamery, Freedom's Choice and Good & Gather.
The scale of the recall reflects the dispersion of Great Lakes Cheese Co.'s production into mainstream American grocery supply chains. Millions of customers routinely purchase these low-cost and private-label cheeses, making the breadth of exposure unusually broad for a Class II recall. A Class II designation indicates that the product "could cause illness or injury," though the FDA notes such outcomes are "not usually life-threatening."
The safety concern centers on the "potential metal fragments from supplier raw material" that may be embedded in the cheese. Regulators have not identified the supplier responsible for the contaminated material, nor disclosed whether the fragments were found through internal testing, consumer reports or a third-party audit. Regardless of origin, officials are urging consumers not to eat the cheese and instead to discard it immediately or return it to retailers for a refund.
For consumers, the guidance is unambiguous as the investigation continues. Authorities warn that even small fragments could cause injury if swallowed, including internal cuts or obstruction. The sell-by dates extending into early 2026 mean a significant portion of the recalled products may still be in home kitchens, prompting retailers and regulators to continue urging vigilance as they work to remove the remaining inventory from circulation.
