Companies and Brands

Kraft Velveeta Product Recall Follows "Cheesepocalypse" Outcry

Almost 1.8 million pounds of Kraft Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Singles Ultimate Cheeseburger Mac are being recalled because some labels did not include soy, a common allergen, among the ingredients. The product contains hydrolyzed soy protein and dried soy sauce.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Monday that manufacturer Truitt Brothers was recalling the product with expiration dates between March 2, 2014, to October 23, 2014. The affected products were sold between May of last year and this month.

“The inaccurate labeling is the only thing wrong with the product,” said a Kraft Foods Group Inc. (NASDAQ: KRFT) spokesperson. “If an individual has no allergies or sensitivities to soy, then the product is perfectly safe to consume.”

No illness has been reported, and no other Velveeta or Kraft Foods products are affected.

Earlier this month, rumors of a shortage of Velveeta cheese product on the East Coast as the Super Bowl and Olympics approached prompted the rise of “cheesepocalypse” hashtag on Twitter. A spokesperson for Kraft said that any supply issues would be short term. Velveeta said via Tumblr:

We want you to hear directly from us that it’s true — we are experiencing a temporary scarcity of our nation’s most precious commodity: Liquid Gold. … While the current Cheesepocalypse is a difficult time for our great nation, we are incredibly humbled and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support for the Liquid Gold of Velveeta.

The company added that it was working “tirelessly to get more Velveeta on store shelves as soon as possible and that this was in no way a ‘publicity stunt’.”

Kraft shares were inactive in premarket trading, after ending last week at $54.76 in a 52-week range of $46.16 to $58.76. Shares rose above the 200-day moving average last week, and Kraft offers a dividend yield of about 3.8%.

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