Velveeta Cheese Gets Recalled For Lack Of Preservatives

The Kraft Corporation has recalled 260 cases of Velveeta cheese that were distributed to Walmart stores in as many as 12 states. The company said the cheese does not contain the appropriate amount of preservatives.

Affected Velveeta cheese boxes were sent to three of Walmart’s distribution centers and then to stores in Wisconsin, Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, North Dakota, Ohio, Nebraska, Kansas, Illinois, and South Dakota, but were not shipped outside of the United States.

If you’re worried you may have purchased one of the recalled containers of Velveeta cheese and it’s now sitting on a shelf in your refrigerator, Kraft representatives have instructed consumers to look for the packaging code that reads 021000611614. All recalled packages were the 32 ounce or two pound sizes.

The recall of Velveeta cheese was initiated after it was discovered some containers of the original recipe variety didn’t have enough sorbic acid. That ingredient helps mold, fungi, and yeast from growing in food products. The problem was discovered during an investigation of some recently-made Velveeta cheese.

Representatives say because there was not enough preservative in the batch, it may spoil too quickly or create an environment where food-borne illnesses thrive. However, they note that those possibilities are unlikely.

Fortunately, it seems this recall case is a very isolated one. The company says it only applies to a single batch of Velveeta cheese that was made on a particular manufacturing line during a timespan of a few hours. Kraft has also said it is taking steps to ensure the same problem doesn’t occur again.

Customers who purchased one of the recalled packages of Velveeta cheese are being instructed not to eat the product. However, instead of just throwing the cheese away, the package can be returned to wherever it was purchased for a full refund or exchange.

Unfortunately for Kraft, this isn’t the first time Velveeta cheese products have been recalled. In 2011, cups of pasta that featured Velveeta cheese were pulled from shelves after pieces of wire bristles were found in them.

There have not been any other Velveeta cheese recalls recently, but last October, the company took some of its Polly-O string cheese off the shelves because of the possibility the products might go bad, even if the product labeling was still in date. Then, this past May, over a million cases of cottage cheese were recalled because the ingredients within them were not stored at the proper temperatures.

[Image Credit: NYC Prowler]