It's from a supermarket that may be seeing increased foot traffic lately as customers hunt for grocery discounts.
3,600 Pounds of Cheese Have Been Recalled in 4 States
Published on Mar. 20, 2025
If you’ve been shopping at ALDI to try to cut costs, it’s an increasingly common strategy. A recent food price outlook released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) predicts price increases in 2025 for eggs, beef, fruits, and beverages, among others.
But for ALDI shoppers who browse their fun dairy case, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now cautioning that some customers recently may have been surprised by what they found in the cheese they took home.
On Wednesday, March 19, the FDA announced what’s apparently an ongoing recall for 4,800 total pouches for Happy Farms by ALDI Colby Jack shredded cheese. Evidently first initiated on February 15, the recall is due to “Potential foreign material (stainless steel fragments).”
The FDA provided the following product details on the recalled product, which was reportedly distributed in Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
- Happy Farms by ALDI Colby Jack (a blend of Colby & Monterey Jack finely shredded cheeses)
- Net Weight: 12 ounces (oz, or 340g)
- Packaged in flexible plastic stand-up pouches
- UPC: 4061463330840
- Batch number: 8679653
- Item number: 170374
- Best By dates of July 13, 2025 and July 14, 2025
- Distributed and sold exclusively by ALDI, Batavia, IL
- 4,800 total pouches (400 cases with 12 pouches per case)
The recalling firm, Great Lakes Cheese Co Inc in Hiram, OH, says on its website it is “the nation’s leading natural cheese packager” and “an award-winning, premier manufacturer and packager of natural and processed bulk, shredded, and sliced cheeses.”
It is not clear from the report whether any consumers have experienced injuries from consuming the shredded cheese. The FDA has now listed the recall as a Class II, meaning their experts determine it involves products “that may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health effects.”
As of Thursday morning, no additional details are provided by the FDA or ALDI website concerning refunds. Consumers who purchased the recalled cheese likely should not consume it and may want to reach out to their ALDI place of purchase.
The presence of foreign matter is a rising reason for recalls. Just last week, several large retailers were involved in a cracker recall due to potential stainless steel wires in the products. Eyeball what’s in your package, even when you’re prepping food in a rush.
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