For those of us who prefer our processed cheese to be well-preserved, this will come as disquieting news: Kraft Foods Group has announced a voluntary recall of 260 cases of its Velveeta Original Pasteurized Recipe Cheese product, due to what it states are low levels of sorbic acid, a preservative ingredient.
The voluntary recall is based on what the company says is an unlikely chance the product could spoil prematurely and/or lead to food-borne illness.
The recall affects one batch of product made on one manufacturing line during a few hours of production. The company stated the product in question was shipped to three Wal-Mart distribution centers and may have been redistributed to stores in as many as 12 Midwestern states. Wal-Mart stores in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin may have received these products.
The specific product affected by the recall is the 32 oz. (2 lb) Velveeta Original Pasteurized Recipe Cheese Product with a consumer package code date/time range of 17 Dec 2014, 09:34-13:15 only. Consumer package UPC code is 021000611614.
Velveeta is also known colloquially as Liquid Gold and its existence dates back to 1928. It is a soft, easy-to-melt American cheese and is popular for its use in queso dips and in recipes such as macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches and casseroles. In 1984, line extensions such as Velveeta Shells and Cheese Dinners migrated to store shelves.
In 2011, the most recent Velveeta-branded product, Velveeta Cheesy Skillets, was sent to market. And, for what it's worth, the American Medical Association granted Velveeta its seal of approval in 1931.
Kraft places Velveeta revenue in excess of $500 million annually.
Kraft advises consumers who may have purchased the affected Velveeta products not to eat them. The product should be returned to the store where it was purchased for an exchange or full refund. Consumers can also contact Kraft consumer relations at 1-800-310-2704 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern time.
In April 2014, Kraft also recalled 96,000 pounds of Oscar Mayer Classic Wieners due to a mislabeled product. In this case, a Classic Wieners package may have contained Classic Cheese Dogs instead. As an additional issue, the cheese dogs contain a milk product that the classic wiener does not. This may be a problem for customers with milk allergies, since purchasers would not see the milk ingredient listed on the package.
