Sargento Foods, which invented the quintessentially American industry of pre-shredded cheese in a zippered bag, is recalling many of its products due to contamination concerns.
The privately held company blamed one of its suppliers, Deutsch Kase Haus. Sargento said the cheeses may have been tainted by Listeria, a bacteria that can cause severe infection, particularly in pregnant women and elderly people.
These are the products that may have been contaminated:
- Sargento Ultra Thin Sliced Longhorn Colby, 6.84 oz., UPC 4610000228, with “Sell By” dates of “12APR17B” and “10MAY17B”
- Sargento Chef Blends Shredded Nacho & Taco Cheese, 8 oz., UPC 4610040041, with “Sell By” dates of “H14JUN17” and “H12JUL17”
Sargento is also recalling these products because they were packaged on the same line as the others:
- Sargento Sliced Colby-Jack Cheese, 12 oz., UPC 4610000109 with “Sell By” date of “11JUN17B”
- Sargento Sliced Pepper Jack Cheese, 12 oz., UPC 4610000108 with “Sell By” dates of ”12JUN17B”, “09JUL17B” and “10JUL17B”
- Sargento Chef Blends Shredded Taco Cheese, 8 oz., UPC 4610040002 with “Sell By” dates of “H14JUN17″, ”F28JUN17” and “D28JUN17”
- Sargento Off The Block Shredded Fine Cut Colby-Jack Cheese, 8 oz., UPC 4610040014 with “Sell By” date of “F05JUL17”
- Sargento Off The Block Shredded Fine Cut Cheddar Jack Cheese, 8 oz., UPC 4610040076 with “Sell By” date of “F05JUL17”
Sargento was founded in Plymouth, Wisconsin, in 1953, capitalizing on new American consumer habits after World War II. The company was the first to sell its cheese already shredded and later also pioneered new forms of packaging for keeping cheese fresh.