Macaroni and cheese products sold at Aldi and Dollar Tree stores nationwide are under recall because they were made with powdered milk from a manufacturer whose plant and finished products were contaminated with Salmonella.
The recall posted Monday with the Food and Drug Administration by Fourth Street Barbecue Inc. indicated the implicated Cheese Club Express and Double Takes branded macaroni and cheese cups have a long shelf life, with best by dates October ad November 2017.
Consumers are encouraged to check their homes for the recalled macaroni and cheese products. Consumers seeking a replacement or refund for recalled products should call the Fourth Street Barbecue customer hotline at 724-483-2056.
The recalled products produced by Fourth Street Barbecue can be identified by the following label information:
- Cheese Club Express Mac & Cheese 4 cup dinner sold to Aldi’s with the UPC number 41498171674 and any of the following best-by dates — 10/18/2017, 10/21/2017 or 10/22/2017; and
- Double Takes Macaroni & Cheese 2 cup dinner sold to Dollar Tree with UPC number 63927701208 with any of the following best-by dates — 10/11/17, 10/12/17, 10/13/17, 10/19/17, 10/20/17, 10/24/17, 11/28/17, 11/29/17, 11/30/17.
Related recalls
A variety of other companies have already recalled processed foods — potato chips, macaroni and cheese, pancake/waffle mix and monkey bread mix — including products sold under Wal-Mart’s Great Value brand and Publix Super Markets brand because of the powdered milk from Valley Milk Products LLC.
All of the products were made with the implicated powdered milk from Valley Milk Products in Strasburg, VA. At the request of the FDA, armed U.S. Marshals raided Valley Milk on Dec. 1 and seized 4 million pounds of powdered milk and powdered buttermilk.
In a document filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia the FDA reported environmental swabs collected at the production facility returned positive results for Salmonella. Inspectors also found internal records at Valley Milk that showed the company itself had found Salmonella in the facility and in finished products.
Anyone who has eaten any of the recalled products and developed symptoms of Salmonella infection should seek medical attention and tell their doctors about the possible exposure to the pathogen.
Salmonella is a microscopic organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly adults, and others with weakened immune systems. People infected with Salmonella can have some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever.
For additional details on other recalls related to the Valley Milk Products problems with Salmonella, please see:
- Armed federal agents seize milk products from major cooperative
- Publix recalls mixes; cites powdered milk Salmonella problem
- Stonewall Kitchen recalls mixes for tainted powdered milk
- Great Value, other mac & cheese brands recalled for Salmonella
- Monkey bread mix recalled for Salmonella in powdered milk
- Chips recalled for Salmonella in powdered milk seasoning
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)
