From E. coli scares to strangely colored crepes, here are some of
the most significant food recalls that customers at Costco will never forget.
Many consumers look forward to a morning smoothie blended with berries from one of
Kirkland's 4-pound bags of organic strawberries. But in March 2023,
customers at various Costco locations were cut off from their favorite product. As part of a
current and ongoing nationwide hepatitis A outbreak linked to strawberries, the giant
bags of frozen fruit were pulled from Costco's shelves. Nine people became sick, and concerns
about potentially spreading the contagious liver disease prompted the product's removal.
Though the recall on the Kirkland berries has been retracted and consumers can go back to enjoying
newly purchased bags as normal, other frozen fruit products have been flagged in the outbreak and are
not yet considered to be in the clear. Willamette Valley Fruit Co.'s Rader Farms organic fresh
start smoothie blend and Wawona's Organic Daybreak blend contained potentially infected strawberries.
The affected lots were pulled from the shelves, but there is lasting concern that there may
still be contaminated bags lingering in the freezers of unaware consumers. If you've got
any of these products stowed away at home, it might be a good idea to pull them out of the
depths of the ice box and check them against the affected lot codes, just to be safe.
Who doesn't love a good shrimp taco? The combination of seafood and Southwestern
flavors is so popular that it has been turned into a convenient frozen taco
pack by Pescanova that is up for grabs at Costco Wholesale.
But those who purchased their favorite frozen taco mix between March and April
of 2023 found themselves headed back to the warehouse for a refund instead
of whipping up the tasty meal on the stove. Pescanova shrimp street taco
bags were recently recalled due to hazardous material in the contents. More specifically,
plastic pieces reportedly estimated as being up to 5 millimeters in length could be found
in the bags. So if you're doing a freezer raid and come across a bag purchased between the
dates of March 23 and April 24 of 2023, it's probably best to develop a new dinner plan.
"You know, this is — excuse me — a damn fine cup of coffee."
Costco's Kirkland brand entered into the realm of ready-to-drink coffee
with its Colombian cold brew. Sold in a 12-pack of 11-ounce aluminum cans,
the product is ready to be placed in the fridge and popped open on the days you feel
you need a quick burst of energy. In addition to Costco shelves, you can also find cans of
cold brew on Amazon, or in the aisles of other retailers like Target and Walmart.
But recently, a foreign object scare caused the popular chilled coffee drink to fall into
recall territory. The affected cans totaled a staggering 2.7 million and
included those sold between November 5, 2022, and February 10, 2023. Apparently,
there was a chance that a metal bolt might have found its way inside some of the cans.
According to Costco's Frequently Asked Questions regarding the recall,
only three drinks out of the few million that were potentially affected
were believed to contain the bolts. Either way, chances are high that you
would hear it clanging inside the can or feel it in your mouth before swallowing.
Foster Farms, known for its free-range, ranch-raised chickens and turkeys,
has frozen poultry products sprinkled in stores all across the U.S. One of those is Costco,
which sells a resealable 5-pound bag of the company's chicken breast patties with
rib meat in its freezer section. Perfect for busy weeknight dinners, this bulk bag
of 20 delicious-tasting patties is a staple for many chicken-loving American households.
"This chicken is delicious."
"Oh thank you."
But in 2022, the public was told to discard its recently-purchased bags of Foster Farms
chicken patties. Apparently, pieces of hard, sharp plastic shards were
potentially mixed into the patties. The recall was assigned as a Class I,
meaning the risk of injury or death was considered medium to high for consumers
if a plastic shard was accidentally swallowed. Thankfully, the recall was executed quickly and
responsibly, people were refunded for their troubles, and no injuries were reported.
Ideally, infected foods are detected and pulled off the shelves before anyone gets sick,
but unfortunately, this isn't always the case. Sometimes,
it takes a person falling ill to find the fault. Back in 1998, a woman in New York
became infected and ultimately hospitalized with E. coli bacteria after a family cookout. The
cause was quickly linked to the Kirkland beef burgers that had been prepared for the meal.
This occurrence forced Costco to rapidly hop on its emergency line, recalling a whopping
172,000 pounds of frozen beef across 24 different states. However, multiple spokespeople commented
on the incident. The representatives included Costco, the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
the National Meat Association, and the American Meat Institute. They said that even if E. coli
is present in a piece of meat, it can always be killed if it is cooked to proper temperatures. For
ground beef, the recommended temperature is 160 degrees Fahrenheit. As an extra
precautionary measure against any potential bacteria lingering within, be sure to always
use a meat thermometer before consuming your hot-off-the-grill burgers, just to be safe.
Sometimes, even foods with an extended shelf life simply go bad. This was the case in 2022
with plenty of Kirkland Signature shelled walnuts. The extra large 3-pound bags of halved and shelled
nuts are perfect for dedicated bakers and snackers. They are normally a delicious,
healthy, and great-tasting addition to anyone's diet. But people who purchased
this staple in September and October of that year were in for a nasty letdown when they
excitedly ripped open the bags with the intent of munching. The official recall notice said,
"We are recalling the Kirkland Signature shelled walnuts due to the stale taste and rancid smell."
While not an issue likely to cause bodily harm, the idea of serving a tray of rotten
candied walnuts to your loved ones at your next family dinner isn't great. Nor would
it be ideal for bakers who accidentally use the rancid nuts in a baked good. Such
a mistake could have detrimental results for a small business relying on quality ingredients,
so we commend Costco for offering a full refund in this case.
There's a good reason companies and brands are required to disclose allergens in their
products. For people with food allergies, ingredients such as dairy, peanuts,
or shellfish, can cause reactions like abdominal upset, skin rashes, and in extreme cases,
even death. Consumers with allergies need to know exactly what they are putting into their bodies,
which is why an omission of an allergen on a food label is a serious problem. Unfortunately,
one such oversight occurred with a popular Costco product.
Ellenos vanilla bean Greek yogurt, sold in 4-ounce containers in packs of 12,
was recalled in May of 2023. People were prying off the tops only to find they were filled with
a yellow-tinged yogurt, as opposed to the standard white color the cups were meant
to have. It was quickly determined that a packaging malfunction had occurred, and
the company's lemon curd yogurt had accidentally been placed into the cups labeled vanilla bean.
The danger? The lemon curd yogurt contains egg, whereas the vanilla bean does not. Therefore,
the labels on the vanilla cups did not list eggs among the ingredients. Thankfully,
no one appears to have been harmed over the potentially deadly mix-up thanks to
swift action taken by Ellenos, the Food and Drug Administration, and Costco.
While most food recalls happen for public health or safety concerns,
others occur for reasons that are a bit bizarre. Such was the case for
the large voluntary recall of Kirkland's Signature chocolate crêpes in March 2023.
The layered chocolate-covered biscuits are beloved by many consumers, so when
emails with a heading reading "recall" began flooding into shoppers' inboxes,
there was initial panic. However, when the reason was revealed, more than anything else, consumers
were left scratching their heads. The Important Product Information on Costco's website read,
"It has come to our attention that some crepes may
be discolored. This is not a health or food safety issue."
Meanwhile, customers seemed universally unconcerned. Most pointed out that the product
tended to change color with age regardless, while others joked about the somewhat silly nature of
the recall. How necessary this particular recall was, we aren't sure, but it was no doubt nice
for people who found themselves turned off by the discolored crepes to have the option of a refund.
"Crepe, crepe, crepe…"
"Crepe crepe crepe…I'll be, I'll be right back!" "Mm hmm."
In 2015, there was a widespread outbreak of E. coli that caused 19 people across seven
states to become ill. Backtracking linked the strain to Costco's rotisserie chicken salads,
and after further investigation, the celery and diced onions were pinpointed as the culprits.
Supplied by Taylor Farms, 154,000 packs of Pacific celery and onion diced blend were recalled.
Costco was not the only retail store affected by the pullback, either. Taylor Farms was the
supplier for many different grocery stores that add vegetables to products and recipes
such as packaged dinners, sides, and salads. So places like Walmart, Sam's Club, Starbucks,
Target, and others were also forced to recall a number of their edible products. Although it
was a major inconvenience for many, considering that E. coli can be a life-threatening bacteria,
especially for the very young and the very old, an abundance of caution was necessary in this case.
Since alcohol is naturally shielded from bacteria strains found in meats
or infected vegetables, this next one comes as a bit of a surprise. In 2023,
Costco yanked cases of its Signature American Vodka from warehouse shelves
based on an apparent disgusting taste and smell coming from the bottles.
Customers consistently noticed that something was off with the handles,
too. A helpful explanation came from an employee at Costco's regional office. Alongside a list
of affected batch numbers, they explained the reason for the strange taste, saying,
"It has hints of rum due to a container not being
completely clean before it was used for vodka during transport."
The employee asserted that while there are no health risks related to the recall, the alcohol
doesn't taste quite right as a result. Based on the feedback of consumers across the internet,
the cross-contamination made the vodka hardly drinkable, so most felt it more than worth the
trip back to the warehouse to replace it with a new handle before happy hour.
Tree nut allergies affect around 0.5 to 1% of the country's population,
according to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology. Though that may not sound
like a huge percentage, allergies to almonds, cashews, pistachios, and walnuts, among others,
are considered some of the more common food allergies. Reactions to them can be extreme
to the point of life-threatening. That's why the 2021 recall of Torn Ranch organic dark
chocolate blueberries — a product that was not supposed to contain tree nuts — was so important.
"Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't."
The potential, accidental presence of almonds in the delicious dark chocolate blueberries, which
are sold at Costco in 18-ounce bags, was cause for an immediate recall. The allergen was undeclared,
and while finding a nut or two in a bag of chocolate berries would not be a big deal for
the average consumer, for people with an allergy, it could have deadly consequences. Luckily,
the affected bags had only been distributed to warehouse locations in Washington, Oregon,
Idaho, and Alaska, and a quick response from both Torn Ranch and Costco potentially saved lives.
Botulism, a potentially deadly sickness caused by a toxin brewed from bacteria that attacks
the nerves, is admittedly rare, but still a risk when it comes to low-acid canned foods like beets,
corn, potatoes, or beans. The proper packaging and sealing of metal cans is
extremely important to prevent the growth of this toxin. So in 2021,
when doubts plagued the company Faribault Foods, Inc. regarding potential improper steps
taken during the sealing process, a recall was immediately issued.
The huge voluntary recall included three different types of beans,
two variants of organic black beans, and one chili bean product, all of which were sold at
Costco and other large retailers between February and April of that year. Customers were invited to
bring any cans listed in the affected lots back to the store for a full refund or a replacement
with a healthy can of beans so that they could still make their favorite black bean recipes.