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Sugar Foods LLC is recalling certain lots of Kroger Homestyle Cheese Garlic Croutons over potential salmonella contamination tied to milk powder used in the product's seasoning blend, the company said.
The recall covers 5-ounce pouches of the croutons with a best-if-used-by date of Feb. 17, 2027, and UPC 0 11110 81353 4. The products were distributed to Kroger stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and West Virginia between March 7 and April 7, 2026, Sugar Foods said. No illnesses have been reported.
The contamination risk comes from a chain of ingredient suppliers. California Dairies Inc. provided the milk powder to Solina USA, which used it in a seasoning blend sold to Sugar Foods. Sugar Foods then used that blend on the croutons. The company said that tests on the seasoning batches showed no salmonella before use, and it is recalling the product as a precaution after California Dairies started its own recall.
Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal illness, particularly in young children, elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems, Sugar Foods said. Symptoms in otherwise healthy people can include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. In rare cases, the bacteria can enter the bloodstream and lead to more severe conditions such as arterial infections, endocarditis, and arthritis.
