U.S. yogurt-maker Chobani on Thursday said it is officially recalling certain cups of its Greek yogurt because they may be contaminated with mold, nearly a week after consumer complaints of illness sparked a quiet market withdrawal.
Chobani products marked with the code 16-012 and best-buy dates of Sept. 11, 2013 to Oct. 7, 2013 are affected by the voluntary recall. Federal Food and Drug Administration officials are working with the company to remove products from national retail sale, said spokeswoman Tamara Ward.
Officials with the Twin Falls, Idaho, firm did not identify the type of mold detected in the products, only saying that it is a kind typically found in a dairy environment. They said they were launching the recall because of "reports of product bloating and swelling and some claims of illness."
The recall includes all flavors Chobani of 3.5-ounce and 6-ounce cups and 16-ounce and 32-ounce tubs. It also includes all flavors of Chobani Bite and Chobani Champions 3.5-ounce cups, all flavors of Chobani Flip 5.3-ounce containers and all flavors of Chobani Champions 2.25-ounce tubes in eight, 16 and 36 count packages.
For a complete list of products, see the FDA's recall notice.
"While this type of mold is unlikely to have ill health effects, due to some claims of illness the company has decided to go from voluntarily withdrawing to voluntarily recalling the limited amount of potentially affected product," company officials wrote on the firm's Facebook page.
Consumers had posted complaints about foul-smelling yogurt or bubbling containers on the Chobani Facebook page and sent complaints to Food Safety News, a consumer website that first reported the withdrawal. The company started quietly pulling yogurt from retail shelves several days ago.
Customers who bought the product should discard it and contact the company to coordinate replacements or refunds at www.chobani.com/care. Or call 877-847-6181.
JoNel Aleccia is a senior health reporter with NBC News. Reach her on Twitter at @JoNel_Aleccia or send her an email.
