US-based Greek yoghurt producer Chobani has today (5 September) issued a recall notice after complaints its products were making consumers ill.
Consumers had first complained to Chobani on social media last week. The company, which has been at the forefront of the booming market for Greek yoghurt in the US, started to alert its retail customers last week but, in tandem with The Food and Drug Administration, issued a recall today.
“To be extra cautious, we have moved from a voluntary withdrawal to a voluntary recall. This partnership with the FDA will allow us to ensure every single potentially affected product is removed from store shelves, and that we’re reaching the vast majority of our consumers with notification of reported quality concerns,” Chobani wrote on its blog today.
Chobani has pulled lines after reports of “product bloating and swelling and some claims of illness”. The recalled yoghurt, which have a code 16-012 and expiration dates 9/11/2-13 – 10/7/2013, equated to 5% of Chobani’s production and were made at its plant in Twin Falls in Idaho.
In its recall notice today, Chobani said: “The company continues its investigation to identify the root cause. The potentially affected product was distributed nationwide from its Twin Falls, Idaho facility and was delivered to consumers through retail and club stores. Consumers who have purchased the product should discard the product.
“The quality of Chobani products and the trust of its consumers are the company’s primary concern, and it sincerely apologises to its consumers impacted by this issue. Chobani holds itself to the highest standards and is committed to fully transparent and decisive action to rectify any identified issues.”
In a blog posting made on Tuesday, Chobani said a “thorough investigation” had identified “a type of mold commonly found in the dairy environment”.
In an Associated Press report issued online today, CEO Hamdi Ulukaya said the problem was “totally fixed” but added: “Everybody in the company took this hard,” Ulukaya said. “It shook us up.”
