Cheese products recalled from Walmart stores in 24 states over deadly ingredient

A cheese manufacturing giant has recalled thousands of containers of cottage cheese, currently having a viral health and wellness moment, due to faulty pasteurization that may not have killed all the pathogens in the raw dairy.

Saputo USA, the 10th-largest dairy processor in the world, located in Wisconsin, notified the FDA of the defect in its pasteurization process, which then notified the public.

Pasteurization is a crucial measure that kills off potentially deadly pathogens found in raw milk, including E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria and Campylobacter. The process is simple: heating the milk to 161 degrees Fahrenheit (72 degrees Celsius) for 15 seconds. Nothing is added to the milk.

According to the FDA notice: ‘The issue was discovered during pasteurizer troubleshooting exercises conducted by SUSA in conjunction with the California Department of Food and Agriculture.’

The cottage cheese is sold under Walmart’s Great Value brand. The products were distributed to 24 states. The affected products – Fat Free Small Curd, Lowfat Small Curd and regular Small Curd cottage cheese – were sold between February 17 and 20, 2026, with best-by dates ranging from April 1 to April 3, 2026.

Health authorities have not reported any illnesses tied to the recalled cottage cheese, according to the FDA. Customers who bought the affected products should return them to Walmart for a full refund.

The agency said: ‘While no illnesses or hospitalizations associated with the recalled products have been reported to date, consuming products that are not fully pasteurized can pose a significant health risk, especially to the young and elderly or immunocompromised individuals.’

The affected pasteurizer has since been repaired, verified and resealed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. No other products made at the facility were impacted.

The affected products were sold in Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Unpasteurized dairy can harbor dangerous bacteria. The bacterium Listeria causes fever, muscle aches, and diarrhea. In severe cases, the infection can lead to headache, stiff neck, confusion and convulsions. 

For pregnant women, it can trigger miscarriage, stillbirth, or life-threatening newborn infection. 

E. coli triggers bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps and vomiting. 

It can lead to a life-threatening condition that destroys red blood cells and causes acute kidney failure, most common in young children.

Salmonella causes fever and abdominal cramps and can spread to the bloodstream, infecting the brain, kidneys or other organs. Symptoms typically last up to a week. 

The stakes are highest for pregnant women, young children, older adults and anyone with a weakened immune system. 

Pasteurization is one of the great public health triumphs. 

Before it became standard, raw milk routinely carried dangerous bacteria that thrived in dairy’s protein-rich environment and sickened thousands, especially children and the elderly. 

Pasteurization changed that by heating milk to a precise temperature long enough to kill the microbes without altering the milk itself. 

For cottage cheese, that safety step is doubly important. 

Because the curds are soft and high in moisture, they create ideal conditions for bacteria to multiply if any survive.

Federal standards require that the skim milk used to make cottage cheese be pasteurized within 24 hours of setting, a safeguard designed to ensure that the product on store shelves will not make people sick.

The process does not compromise nutrition or flavor in any meaningful way. It renders the product stable and safe.

Cottage cheese is a fresh, mild-tasting cheese made from cow’s milk that has not been aged or pressed. 

The process starts when milk is mixed with a mild acid or live cultures, causing it to separate into solid curds and liquid whey.

The curds are gently cut, cooked until they firm up, then rinsed and drained. What’s left are soft, lumpy clumps in the container in the dairy section. 

They are typically tossed with a light dressing of cream or milk to add moisture, plus some salt for flavor.

The result is a high-protein, low-fat dairy product that’s been a staple of American diets for generations and has recently become a viral health and wellness sensation in a culture increasingly prioritizing protein.