Remember those pancake and waffle mixes recalled for possible Salmonella contamination? They were just the first items in a wave of recalls related to the shutdown of a production facility in Virginia. The most prominent so far has been the recall of macaroni and cheese packages sold under the store brand names of Walmart, Aldi, and Rite Aid.
To see the big picture, you have to rewind to about two weeks ago, when the Food and Drug Administration brought in the U.S. Marshal Service to raid the Valley Milk Products processing facility in Virginia to seize 4 million pounds of powdered milk. The raid and seizure followed a September inspection report that found evidence in the company’s records of Salmonella in the plant, including on fixtures after cleaning. Ew.
The 40-pound and 50-pound bags of milk powder and buttermilk powder that this plant produces were sold to food processing facilities, which used them in manufacturing products like baking mixes and packaged macaroni and cheese.
Here’s what you should look for in your pantry. The products are all pre-measured microwaveable cups of macaroni and cheese; the recall also includes 4-packs of those cups in the Great Value (Walmart) brand.
(Rite Aid) Big Win Original Macaroni & Cheese Dinner: Best By Date of 10/25/2017
(Aldi) Cheese Club Express Mac Macaroni & Cheese Dinner: Best By dates between 11/3 and 11/28/2017
(Walmart) Great Value Macaroni & Cheese Original Cups: Best By dates between 10/22 and 11/21/2017
If you have a question about the recall or about the products, contact the manufacturer, Treehouse Foods, at 800-756-5781. The company encourages customers to bring the products back to the retailer for a refund, or to throw them out.
by Laura Northrup via Consumerist