2.7 Million Cans of Coffee Sold at Costco Recalled After Pieces of Metal Found Inside
The potentially dangerous beverages were distributed to warehouse stores in 13 states.
While people may differ wildly on what foods they choose to eat for breakfast, coffee remains one of the most popular beverages for starting your day. The caffeinated drink can come in handy to help relieve grogginess after getting out of bed—or even later in the day as an afternoon pick-me-up. And while we all appreciate a fresh pot or a specially made cup of your go-to order from your favorite café, it's not uncommon to reach for a pre-made version when you're on the move or in a rush. But now, Costco says that cans of coffee sold at some of its stores have been recalled due to the risk of metal pieces being inside them. Read on for what you need to know about the potentially risky joe.
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Costco has recalled 2.7 million cans of coffee sold at stores across 13 states.
According to a notice published by the Food & Drug Administration, Illinois-based Berner Food Inc. has recalled its Kirkland Signature Colombian Cold Brew Coffee that it produces for Costco. The ongoing recall was first announced on Feb. 17 and affects 231,071 cases—or 2,772,852 cans—of the ready-to-drink beverage.
The affected items are packaged in 12-ounce aluminum cans and sold in cases of 12. The agency's notice states that the products were distributed to stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Texas, Utah, and Washington.
The recalled cans and cases are printed with best-by dates that range from Oct. 19 through Oct. 27 of this year, Food Safety News reports. A complete list of affected lot numbers can also be found on the agency's posted notice.
The company says cans could contain a potentially dangerous piece of metal.
In a recall notice posted on the Costco website, Berner Foods explained that it pulled the coffee from shelves due to the potential risk of a foreign material being in the cans. Specifically, the company says a metal bolt could have made its way into the beverage.
"No injuries have been reported due to this matter and potential risk is slim, however consumer safety is of utmost importance to us," Berner Foods wrote in its notice. According to an FAQ section posted on the company's recall website, there are potentially three affected cans out of a total of 3.4 million produced.
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Here's what you should do if you purchased the recalled cold brew coffee cans.
The company clarifies that no other product date codes are affected by the recall. However, customers who've purchased the affected items are advised not to drink the product and to instead return them to their local Costco for a full refund.
Berner Foods says that "corrective action has been identified and implemented" to address the problem. Customers with any questions can contact the company by calling a hotline listed on the recall notice.
This isn't the only recent recall for Costco or coffee beverages.
Even though the latest incident affects millions of product units, it's not the only recent case of a coffee recall. On Jan. 28, the FDA announced that Pepsico Inc. had initiated a recall for the Starbucks frappuccino vanilla drinks it produces for the popular coffee chain. The move affected 25,200 cases of the product that were shipped nationwide. Somewhat like the Costco recall, the company pulled the beverages from shelves after discovering the bottles could contain pieces of glass.
And even though Costco has managed to build and maintain a solid reputation amongst its fans for its quality products, the latest cold brew coffee conundrum shows this doesn't make it immune to the occasional safety recall. On March 16, the FDA announced that California Splendor, Inc. had recalled just over a dozen lots of frozen organic strawberries distributed to Costco stores under the Kirkland house brand. The four-pound bags—which were sold at locations in Los Angeles, Hawaii, and two warehouse stores in San Diego—were pulled due to their connection to a hepatitis A outbreak.
