The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced an investigation on Chobani Greek yougurt after a reported mold problem.
After receiving several complaints about the yogurt through social media, the company asked stores to remove the products from their shelves. However, Chobani did not issue an official recall notice. Tamara Ward, spokeswoman for the FDA reported that Chobani's way of handling the recall was unusual. Reuters reports that although the FDA doesn't think recall measures will be necessary, they are watching Chobani closely and they are currently working with Chobani to define the exact problem, the level of risk, whether it has been contained and whether the public has enough information available to them.
The yogurt was allegedly packaged in swelled containers and had a runny consistency and funny taste, giving some people gastrointestinal issues, according to Mail Online.
Chobani reported that the issue was a mold that is commonly found in dairy, and assured consumers that the mold was only present in less than 5 percent of Chobani production. The company has plants in New York, Idaho and Australia – only yogurt cups made in Idaho were affected.
Chobani also took to their Facebook page to assure consumers that they are taking all of the necessary precations. “There is nothing more important to us than the quality of our products. We're currently in the process of voluntarily removing and replacing some products from store shelves that did not meet our rigid quality standards.”
Cups with codes reading 16-012 with expiration dates between 9/11/2013 and 10/7/2013 are being replaced. Customers with this code and dates should contact Chobani customer service team at chobani.com in order to receive replacement cups of yogurt.
Image courtesy of Patrick Last