NEW YORK – According the Reuters, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday it is investigating Greek yogurt maker Chobani’s handling of a mold problem with its product after the company asked some retailers last week to remove yogurt cups from store shelves.

Consumers had complained to Chobani over social media about off-tasting yogurt with bloated containers. Some reported gastrointestinal distress; others deplored the characteristically thick Greek yogurt’s “runny” consistency.

The company did not issue a recall notice over the problem, the FDA told Reuters, but instead the company contacted stores directly.

Chobani did not provide a response after multiple emails and calls for comment and its website was down on Wednesday evening, making it impossible to access prior statements on the subject.

On Tuesday, Chobani told Food Navigator, an industry publication, that it had “investigated the cause of the (swelling/bloating) and have identified a type of mold commonly found in the dairy environment.”

The private company said the problem had affected less than 5 percent of its production and was limited to yogurt cups produced at Chobani’s Idaho plant. The company also has a plant in New York and one in Australia.

Also on Tuesday, Chobani said in a Facebook comment that cups with the code 16-012 and expiration dates between 9/11/2013 and 10/7/2013 would be replaced.

On Friday, it posted on its Facebook page that it was “in the process of voluntarily removing and replacing some products from store shelves that did not meet our rigid quality standards.”