Unfortunately, recalls happen for a reason, and there are many reasons for them. Sometimes recalls are caused by something as minor as mislabeling or improper packaging; sometimes they are much larger, such as the Costco Wholesale incident and the recall issued by one of its private label suppliers, Berner Foods Inc. The recall affects several cases of Kirkland Signature Cold Brew beverages across the United States containing foreign matter that is not fit for consumption. Unfortunately, Costco is no stranger to recalls, as it has faced several major recalls in its history (in fact, one major recall even happened in the same year as cold brew coffee).
On February 17, 2023, Berner Foods issued a major recall of Costco’s Kirkland Signature Columbian Cold Brew. This is because metal, more specifically a bolt, was found in ready-made coffee in products sold between November 2022 and February 2023. Berner issued a statement to Costco members urging them not to consume products containing “best by” dates ranging from October 19 to October 27, 2023, and to return them to Costco for a full refund. The cold brew coffee recall lasted for weeks, and officials did not report any injuries, but it did involve 231,071 cases, or nearly 3 billion cans of Kirkland Signature Cold Brew. Interestingly, even without providing an exact reason, Burner’s member notification is not listed on the recall archive page of Costco’s website.
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Costco has experience managing major recalls
Like 2023 Kirkland Signature Cold Brew, it’s one of many products hitting the warehouse giant in 2023. The cold brew recall comes a month after California Splendor Inc. and Scenic Fruit Co. recalled their frozen organic strawberries due to a hepatitis A outbreak. The March recall found Kirkland Signature organic strawberries distributed to Costco stores in Los Angeles, Hawaii and San Diego. These were only out of an abundance of caution and no illnesses were reported; however, a similar major recall occurred in 2013 by Townsend Farms, another private label supplier to Costco. That time, Townsend Farms recalled its organic antioxidant blend because several cases of hepatitis A were linked to pomegranate seeds in the product.
Of course, any recall should not be compared to other recalls where the issues have been concluded and resolved. It’s unclear whether Costco continues to work with these suppliers, but members of the Costco Reddit thread are keeping a sense of humor during the cold brew recall. One Reddit user jokingly confirmed that they received recall notices in emails and phone calls, but would finish their drinks and then return the unopened cans they purchased. In another Reddit thread, one user jokingly argued that people shouldn’t complain about receiving free bolts and shavings with their coffee. As funny as these comments are, a recall can be a very serious matter in nature rather than a joke. Thankfully for Costco, members can rely on the giant supermarket’s excellent return policy.
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