WASHINGTON – Sargento Foods Inc. is recalling certain batches of shredded cheese that may be contaminated with dangerous bacteria.

Recalled are 8-ounce packages of Sargento Fancy Shredded Mozzarella that bear the dates 19OCT01 and 20OCT01, and Sargento 6 Cheese Italian Blend Shredded Cheese that bears the date 20OCT01.

People should not eat the recalled cheese, which was sold nationwide, but return it to the place of purchase for a refund. The cheese may be contaminated with listeria, bacteria that typically cause flulike symptoms in healthy people. But listeria can cause serious, sometimes fatal, infections in young children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems. Also, it can cause miscarriages and stillbirths even if pregnant women themselves feel no symptoms.

The Food and Drug Administration says no illnesses have been reported to date.