Cottage Cheese Recall 2019: 9,500 Crates Worth of Products Could Be Contaminated With Plastic and Metal

Kraft Heinz Foods Company has issued a voluntary recall of around 9,500 cases of Breakstone's Cottage Cheese due to possible contamination with red plastic and metal during the production process.

According to a recall statement issued by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on November 15, 2019, there have been six customer complaints involving pieces of red plastic reported so far.

The products affected were distributed and sold in the U.S. and exported to Latin America, and include:

• 16-ounce packets of Breakstone's 2 percent Milkfat Lowfat Large Curd Cottage Cheese with an individual package UPC of 0 21000 30053 2 and a use-by date of December 10, 2019
• 24-ounce packets of Breakstone's 4 percent Milkfat Large Curd Cottage Cheese with an individual package UPC of 0 21000 12285 1 and a use-by date of December 10, 2019
• 24-ounce packets of Breakstone's 4 percent Milkfat Small Curd Cottage Cheese with an individual package UPC of 0 21000 12284 4 and a use-by date of December 10, 2019

No injuries or illnesses related to the recall have been reported but consumers have been advised to return affected products to the place of purchase to exchange for a full refund.

"Consumption of hard or sharp foreign material could cause injury to teeth, mouth, throat, stomach or intestine tissues if swallowed," reads the statement.

"We deeply regret this situation and apologize to any consumers we have disappointed."

The presence of foreign objects like plastic, glass and metal can lead to a number of health problems including lacerations and other injuries to the teeth, jaw, tongue and throat when chewing and to the stomach, intestines and rectum post swallowing.

Small pieces of hard material can be a choking hazard and can provide an entry-point for harmful bacteria such as salmonella or listeria. Thus they may be a conduit for food poisoning.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), more than 250 foodborne illnesses have been identified. These diseases affect 48 million people in the U.S. annually, which roughly works out as six to seven Americans every year.

Foreign objects may also cause allergic reactions in people with allergies if the object doing the contaminating was not listed on the product or had come into contact with a potential allergen beforehand.

Foreign objects can contaminate food during harvesting and at any point during processing, such as manufacturing and transportation. According to Food Safety Magazine, some of the most common sources of contamination include glass, wood, stones, metal, plastic, bone and needles.