Walmart's Great Value Cottage Cheese Is Being Recalled In 24 States

If you recently bought Great Value cottage cheese from Walmart, check the container right away to see if you need to toss it. On February 25, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration published an official recall notice for Great Value small curd cottage cheese produced by Saputo Cheese USA, Inc. The dairy used to make the cheese was not fully pasteurized, meaning it could make consumers sick and may even lead to hospitalization, with children, the elderly, the immunocompromised, and pregnant people at the highest risk.

This recall affects Great Value fat free, lower fat, and full fat cottage cheese distributed between February 17 and February 20 in 24 states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Check the FDA's notice for details to help you determine if you own the affected products, including product photos, package sizes, UPC numbers, and expiration dates.

As of this writing, no illnesses or hospitalizations associated with the recall have been reported, but improperly pasteurized dairy is absolutely a serious health threat. In 1985, Salmonella from tainted milk caused several deaths due to faulty pasteurization equipment, and this latest Walmart recall was also caused by a malfunctioning pasteurizer at a Saputo USA facility. If you own the recalled cheeses, immediately dispose of them or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Customers who have questions about the recall can call Saputo at 1-888-587-2423.

This new Great Value cottage cheese recall comes on the heels of another incident in December, when shredded cheese from Walmart and other big stores was yanked from shelves for a scary reason: The products contained metal fragments. Consuming dairy that has not been fully pasteurized can be just as dangerous to your health. While health authorities most often warn against drinking raw or unpasteurized milk, improperly-pasteurized cheeses and other dairy products carry illness-causing bacteria like salmonella and listeria, too.

Both of these germs can cause extreme digestive upset, fevers, and chills, while serious cases of listeria may also cause mental confusion and even seizures. Salmonella or Listeria infections may clear up on their own in healthy individuals, but severe cases require hospitalization and can be fatal to sensitive groups like children and the elderly.

According to the FDA, Saputo USA has fixed the faulty pasteurizer that impacted the recalled Great Value cottage cheeses. The repair was verified and sealed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and no other products produced in the same facility were found to be unsafe. Hopefully, these measures will prevent further spread of any dangerous dairy products, and this incident won't wind up being one of the biggest food recalls in Walmart history.