Kraft Cheese Recall Conducted After Reports Of Premature Spoilage

Kraft Foods Group announced Friday a cheese recall affecting some varieties of Kraft and Polly-O String Cheese and String Cheese Twists products.

Kraft Cheese Recall 2013

According to the company, the said products may spoil before the "Best When Used By" dates indicated on their packages, leading to product discoloration.

"We’re sorry that some of our Kraft and Polly-O String Cheese products did not meet our high standards," the company said. "And we deeply regret if you have experienced any inconvenience due to our voluntary recall on October 25, 2013."

It added, "As you may know, these are natural cheeses that contain no added preservatives, and it’s not unusual for cheese to spoil over time. But in this situation, we saw spoilage occurring before the 'Best When Used By' Date. That is not acceptable to us. So we knew the right thing to do for our consumers was to voluntarily recall the affected product."

The Kraft cheese recall affects approximately 735,000 cases of the affected products distributed across the United States. They all have code dates from October 25, 2013 through February 11, 2014.

The recalled products have the following information:

Name of Product	Size	Package UPC	Code Dates
Kraft Mozzarella String Cheese	16 oz.	21000006632	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
.834 oz Kraft Low Moisture Part Skim Jalapeno String 2/24PK	.834 oz (individual sticks in a carton)	21000007264	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Kraft Low Moisture Part Skim String Cheese	24 oz	21000017171	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Kraft Low Moisture Part Skim String	12 oz	21000017140	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Kraft Barbecue String Cheese Twists	9 oz	21000041619	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Kraft Italian Style Pizza Cheese Twists	9 oz	21000041626	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Kraft Low Moisture Part Skim Cracked Black Pepper String Cheese	10 oz	21000044702	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Kraft 2% Natural String Cheese	20 oz	21000044719	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Kraft Low Moisture Part Skim Jalapeno String Cheese	10 oz	21000044726	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Kraft Low Moisture Part Skim Tomato Basil String Cheese	10 oz	21000044733	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Kraft 2% String Cheese	10 oz	21000044740	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Polly-O Mozzarella String Cheese	16 oz	71040000251	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Polly-O Low Moisture Part Skim String Cheese	12 oz	71040065045	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Polly-O Barbecue Cheese Twist	9 oz	71040000503	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Polly-O Italian Style Pizza Cheese Twist	9 oz	71040000510	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Polly-O Low Moisture Part Skim Black Pepper String Cheese	10 oz	71040000565	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Polly-O 2% String Cheese	20 oz	71040000572	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Polly-O Low Moisture Part Skim Jalapeno String Cheese	10 oz	71040000589	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Polly-O Low Moisture Part Skim Tomato Basil String Cheese	10 oz	71040000596	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Polly-O 2% String Cheese	10 oz	71040000602	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Polly-O Low Moisture Part Skim String Cheese Value Pack	24 oz	71040065564	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014
Polly-O String Cheese 1 oz 48-count	48 oz	71040605098	25 OCT 2013 – 11 FEB 2014

The recall was initiated after Kraft received several reports from consumers of premature spoilage of some of the string cheese products listed above. Kraft has ceased the production and distribution of the affected products from the relevant facility as the company continues its investigation to resolve the problem.

Consumers who purchased any product listed above should not eat it. They should return it to the store where purchased for an exchange or full refund. Consumers also can contact Kraft Foods Consumer Relations at 1-800-816-9432 between 9 am and 6 pm (Eastern).