Emphasized as a key Food That Built America, American cheese has remained a staple in households across the nation since James Kraft introduced it at the turn of the 20^th century.  This episode of the History Channel’s popular food origin show concludes with food expert, Adam Richman reminiscently peeling apart the wrapper to a Kraft American cheese single, folding it, and taking a bite on camera.  Two and a half years after this episode aired, Kraft has issued a recall for this exact product.

Towards the end of September, customers reported complaints that after unwrapping certain American cheese singles products, part of the wrapper or film remained.  Specifically, once the wrapper is removed, a thin layer of film may remain on the slice of cheese.  If ingested, the film may cause an unpleasant reaction for the consumer.  While six customers have provided reports of gagging or choking, no serious injuries or significant health effects have been indicated.  Kraft has attributed the error to imprecise adjustments on the rollers or belts on a faulty machine, which has since been fixed.  In these instances, when the equipment may not operate correctly, the unfortunate result may compromise food safety and health. 

Kraft maintains that the company continues to be committed to ensuring top quality for all customers and delivering American cheese products that are free of artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.  The impacted products included in the recall are the 16-ounce “Kraft Singles American Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product” with a “Best When Used By” date between January 10, 2024 and January 27, 2024, and the 3-pound multipacks of “Kraft Singles American Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product” with a “Best When Used By” date between January 9, 2024 and January 16, 2024.  If purchased, Kraft has encouraged customers to return the products to the store for an exchange or refund.