Food has been recalled at Walmart, Target, and other shopping stores in five states because it might be contaminated. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that a big shipment of mac and cheese is the item that is affected.
The food may have gone bad while it was being shipped, and customers and children who eat it could be seriously hurt by the health risks.
Which Mac & Cheese has been recalled?
Reser’s American Classics Macaroni & Cheese (with a “best before” date of September 14 and 16, 2024) and Reser’s American Classics Macaroni & Cheese White Cheddar (with a “best before” date of September 11, 2024) are affected because they could go bad if they are “temperature abused.”
These two types of mac and cheese were recalled. They were sold at Walmart and Target as well. Illinois, Minnesota, California, North Dakota, and South Dakota are the states that have to deal with this lame recall.
The FDA said this week that there are real worries that the Mac & Cheese boxes may have gone bad while they were being shipped.
Desserts, corn, egg salad, spinach dip, potato gratin, pasta salad, and different kinds of potato salad are also being recalled.
By email, a Reser’s Fine Foods representative said, “the problem was limited to one truckload of product delivered to a distributor location.” The representative also confirmed that none of the affected products made it to store shelves.
Why did Mac & Cheese go off
The FDA says that the damage to the food may have been caused by a trailer’s broken cooling unit. The recall, which began on July 29, was based on the fact that using or being near the recalled product might cause short-term or easily fixable health problems, with a low chance of major health problems.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) website says that salmonella and E. coli bacteria can grow on foods that are kept at temperatures that are too low. The agency warns that these bacteria can make people sick if they are present in big enough amounts.
Salmonella, a serious health risk for the population
Some people, like young children, older adults, and people with weak immune systems, can get very sick from salmonella. It usually makes people feel sick to their stomach, throw up, have diarrhea, stomach cramps, and a fever.
Salmonella can cause long-term problems like reactive arthritis in joints, or it can even be deadly if it is not treated.
That is why the FDA has taken strong action and makes sure that all food items that might be contaminated are taken off the shelves. In this case, the Mac & Cheese did not even make it to the shelves of grocery stores.
The chances of getting sick from this food item were low, but the FDA always chooses to be safe than sorry.
Too much of a chance of contamination from touching or not cooking enough is present. It is safer to follow the recall guidelines and get rid of any food that could be harmful.
Other Walmart recalls
Tree House Foods, a major maker of private-label foods, issued the warning early in October 2024 after routine tests showed that the food might have been contaminated with Listeria.
This had an effect on Walmart’s Great Value frozen waffles as well as waffles sold by many other stores under their own names.
For those in North America who have frozen waffles, it is likely that they were made by Tree House Foods. I would look up a recipe for waffle batter and put those waffles away to take back to the store.
Seriously, if you bought frozen waffles from any of the above companies or stores, you should look at Tree House Foods’ official list of products that are affected.
The company gave a full list with brand names, batch numbers, and times when the food will go bad.
If you remember eating frozen waffles at home or in a restaurant and then feel sick, have a fever, or have aches and pains in your muscles, you should see a doctor right away. No cases of Listeria illness have been proven to be caused by waffles yet.
But this bacteria can be very dangerous, and the FDA says to throw away any goods that might be contaminated. These groups are more likely to get listeriosis: pregnant women, older adults, and people whose immune systems are not strong.