Attention, ALDI shoppers: New details emerge nearly a year after an issue involving "stainless steel fragments" was first made public.
For cost-conscious shoppers across much of the U.S., ALDI is considered a go-to destination for grocery staples—meaning interruptions can have widespread effects. One such incident—tied to potential foreign material contamination—is a just-updated major cheese recall involving 3,600 pounds of cheese exclusively distributed and sold by the discount retailer.
The recalled product—12-ounce stand-up pouches of Happy Farms by ALDI Colby Jack—was reportedly distributed in four states: Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Roughly 400 cases, each containing 12 units of the product, were implicated.
According to new details released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 10, the recall has now been formally terminated as of January 9, 2026. This likely indicates that federal regulators determined all reasonable efforts had been made to remove the product from the supply chain.
The recall was originally put into effect on February 15, 2025, by Great Lakes Cheese Co. Inc., an Ohio-based manufacturer, after stainless steel fragments were discovered in a limited production run of finely shredded Colby Jack cheese. The company’s site calls it “the nation’s leading natural cheese packager,” underscoring its distribution reach.
The FDA enforcement report provides the following product details:
- Product: 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 FDA categorized the recall as Class II, meaning the product could cause temporary or medically reversible health effects, or that the likelihood of serious injury was remote. Still, the presence of metal fragments poses obvious risks, including mouth injuries or gastrointestinal irritation.
For daily wellness updates, subscribe to The Healthy newsletter and follow The Healthy on Facebook and Instagram. Keep reading:
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