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FDA Issues Recall of Popular Mac and Cheese Snack Across US Due to Potential Metal Contamination

Being a 'Class II' recall with 40,000 cases retracted so far, the consumers who have already bought them are asked to return them.

BY NEHA B.

PUBLISHED 2 DAYS AGO

(L) A family in a supermarket shopping for snacks. (R) Cheese Bites are presented on a plate. (Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | (L) Gustavo Fring, (R) Shameel Mukkath)

Macaroni and cheese isn’t just food. For most Americans, it’s a feeling. Someone’s girlfriend dumped them; someone got struck with an unusual growling in their belly after lunch; someone planned a movie night with their partner; someone just asked for a midnight snack; in all these stories, mac-and-cheese stands as a constant companion that comforts, satiates, and heals. But these days, the much-famed appetizer is being associated with a poison-tainted villain that might choke the eater to death. On February 5 this year, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued a nationwide recall for a macaroni and cheese snack sold by Feel Good Foods Inc.

A bowl of macaroni and cheese (Representative Image Source: Freepik)

“I got a call from Wegmans. [They said Feel Good Foods Mac and Cheese Bites] have been recalled for possible small metal contamination. I love these and go through a box a week, so I’m devastated and scared,” the Reddit user, u/pokemon_raid_friends, shared in a February 6 post. Another user, u/Any-Meat-5445, wrote, “I had bought from Amazon and received an email from them and also a refund right away.” A warehouse employee from the company shared that they “had to pull them and destroy them.”

Mac and cheese balls on a plate. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Peter Benedetti)

Apart from these cheese bites, Feel Good Foods Inc., a New York-based company, is known for products like cheese mini pizza bagels, soup dumplings, mozzarella sticks, crispy jalapeno bites, burritos, and pancake bites. None of these products have been recalled, except only the macaroni and cheese, whose 40,000 cases have been lodged. The reason is a potential contamination with a foreign object, most likely “metal pieces,” according to the FDA. Nearly 4,246 cases have been filed for this product, with each case featuring 9 units.

Elderly couple grocery shopping. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Kampus Production)

The product, as listed by the FDA, is “Three Cheese Mac & Cheese Bites; NET WT 8 oz (224 g); packaged in yellow carton; Frozen.” These “best by” labels on these products read June 19 and 20, 2026. The lot numbers are “24354AV1 and 24355AV1,” and the UPC is “899039002808.” In the market, both offline and online, the product was sold by several retailers, including Target, Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, Wegmans & Sprouts. While some retailers have reached out directly to the consumers, others haven’t rolled out any notice or additional information. Yet, the FDA has warned people against eating their macaroni and cheese. They have been urged to dispose of the product or return it for a refund.

Person eating macaroni and cheese in a restaurant (Representative Image Source: Freepik)

On February 19, the product was classified in a “Class II” recall, which implies that it "may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote," according to the FDA’s website. A Class II recall is more serious than a Class III recall, but not as serious as Class I, which can even lead to death. The current status of this mac-and-cheese recall is “ongoing.” So, check your freezer. Instead of a lip-smacking cheese snack, your microwave could turn up with a sparking heap of metal fragments. Better still, until this recall issue is resolved, try cooking your favorite flavor of macaroni at home.