The Major Cheese Brand Recall That Affected Aldis In 37 States

Companies implement voluntary recalls when a major issue regarding a product is brought to light. These recalls occur in conjunction with supervisory agencies such as the FDA to ensure consumers remain protected against dangerous, faulty, or misrepresented products. In 2023, a packaging issue affected Kraft Singles American cheese distributed to Aldi and other grocery stores. The problem resulted from small pieces of plastic that remained stuck to cheese slices after opening, which some consumers claimed to have inadvertently eaten and choked on. This issue led to a recall of an estimated 83,800 cases of product. 

Overall, Aldi locations in 37 states (plus Washington D.C.) were affected by the recall, including Wisconsin, West Virginia, Virginia, Vermont, Texas, Tennessee, South Dakota, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Ohio, North Dakota, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Missouri, Mississippi, Minnesota, Michigan, Massachusetts, Maryland, Kentucky, Kansas, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Georgia, Florida, Delaware, Connecticut, California, Arkansas, Arizona, and Alabama. Keep in mind Aldi has locations in 38 states, which shows just how impactful this recall was for the chain. This cheese recall was so widespread that the incident was included in our list of the biggest food recalls in Aldi's history, which also includes foods like meat, fruit, and frozen peas. 

In the aftermath of the Kraft Singles recall, the company claimed the packaging snafu only temporarily affected a single wrapping machine. As a precaution, Kraft also inspected its other packing equipment to make sure the problem was isolated. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. This isn't the first time Kraft has encountered an issue with its manufacturing processes. A similar incident with plastic strips remaining on cheese slices led to a recall of 36,000 packages of Kraft Singles in 2015. And in 2022 Kraft recalled packs of its Oscar Mayer Ham and Cheese Loaf due to a manufacturing issue that exposed this fully cooked product to machine components that also processed uncooked foods.

While the store offers some name-brand goods, Aldi is known for prioritizing its private label goods. Over 90% of the products sold at the chain are Aldi's proprietary brands, which is a strategy the store uses to offer quality items that are more affordable than name-brand items. However, the store's branded products have also been the subject of recalls, including an instance when Happy Farms cream cheese was pulled due to salmonella contamination.