Even though they have locations practically everywhere, Starbucks has made it possible to enjoy its products at home or on the go. Whether it's brewing your own pot of their signature roasts or grabbing a can of one of their ready-made beverages from the store, fans of the brand know it's relatively easy to enjoy your favorite coffee drink without having to order from a barista. But before you reach for your next pick-me-up, you should know that certain Starbucks drinks were just recalled. Read on to learn more about the potential safety risks.
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Thousands of cases of Starbucks drinks were just recalled nationwide.
iStock / paulaphotoAccording to a notice from the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Pepsico Inc. has recalled the Starbucks frappuccino vanilla drinks it produces for the popular coffee chain, Food Safety News reports. The agency says that the recall was originally initiated on Jan. 28 and is still ongoing, affecting 25,200 cases of the product that were shipped nationwide.
The recalled item is packaged in 13.7-ounce bottles originally sold in cases of 12. Affected products are stamped with the UPC 12000813313 and have expiration dates of March 8, May 29, Jun 4, and June 10, 2023. According to a recall notice from grocery chain Big Y, the bottles also have "DF" printed in the lot code.
The company pulled the product after discovering pieces of glass in the bottles.
ShutterstockInitial recall reports from Big Y state that the product was pulled from the market due to "a potential issue with foreign material." Now, it appears that the issue is pieces of glass that were found in bottles, according to Food Safety News.
When reached for comment, an FDA spokesperson told Best Life: "When a company announces a recall, market withdrawal, or safety alert, the FDA posts the company's announcement as a public service. It can take a few days for the recall announcement to post on the FDA.gov site."
Best Life has reached out to Pepsico for comment, but has yet to hear back.
Here's what you should do if you've got the bottles of the recalled Starbucks drink.
Victoria Nochevka / ShutterstockDue to the potential safety issues, anyone who purchased recalled bottles of the Starbucks frappuccino drinks should not consume the product. Instead, they should return the product to its original place of purchase for a full refund.
This isn't the first time Starbucks has had to recall its products recently. In September, Pepsico pulled cases of its Starbucks Vanilla Espresso Triple Shot Energy Coffee Beverage from shelves. The company made the move after discovering that the canned drinks could contain "metal fragments" that might potentially cause serious injury or dental damage if consumed, Food Safety News reported. Ultimately, the move affected 221 cases of the product.
And it's not just beverages that have been affected. Last June, Starbucks issued a voluntary "stop sell" order for its chicken, maple butter, and egg sandwich after the product fell short of the company's standards, The Wall Street Journal reported. Employees were instructed to toss all remaining supplies of the seasonal sandwich less than a week after the chain debuted the menu item.
There have been several recent recalls affecting food items.
iStockFood and beverage recalls are part of how safety and regulation systems work to keep consumers safe in the U.S. And recently, there have been a few instances in which items have been pulled from shelves over concerns for the public.
On Feb. 13, the FDA announced that Volt Candy had issued a voluntary recall for a specific lot of its PrimeZEN Black 6000 male enhancement capsules. The California-based company alerted online customers that the supplement capsules contained unlisted sildenafil and tadalafil. The agency warned that the phosphodiesterase (PDE-5) inhibitors could interact with nitrates taken by people with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease and lead to a potentially life-threatening drop in blood pressure.
On the same day, the agency announced that Daiso California, LLC had issued a recall for two dozen items sold in its stores across six states. The list of affected products included chocolate, crackers, cookies, teas, ramen, and more. The move marked the third time the company has issued a recall related to undeclared allergens in snack and food items since January. In this case, the products could contain undeclared ingredients, including milk, soy, wheat, or tree nuts, which could cause life-threatening allergic reactions in some people.
And on Feb. 3, the FDA announced that Fresh Ideation Food Group had issued a recall of more than 400 ready-to-eat and prepackaged food products ranging from breakfast sandwiches and noodle bowls to salads and snacks. The items were sold in stores and vending machines across nine states, as well as during service on Amtrak trains. The company said it pulled the products after discovering they could be contaminated with dangerous Listeria monocytogenes bacteria.
