Recently, the recall of some products by the American warehouse chain store Costco has drawn attention from the news media. The latest recall incident involves butter, leaving consumers puzzled about the reason for the recall.
According to reports from Fox News and USA Today on November 11, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States announced that Costco recalled 80,000 pounds of butter due to a lack of the “Contains Milk statement” on the packaging, which could pose a risk for customers with dairy allergies.
FDA records indicate that on October 11, the wholesale distributor Continental Dairy Facilities Southwest LLC in Littlefield, Texas, recalled 1,300 cases totaling 79,200 pounds of butter for failure to declare allergens. The recalled products include 46,800 pounds of Costco’s private label Kirkland Signature unsalted sweet cream butter and 32,400 pounds of Kirkland Signature salted sweet cream butter labeled with “listing cream but may be missing the Contains Milk statement.”
Each recalled product consists of four sticks of 4-ounce butter. Approximately 2,100 cases of these types of butter were distributed in Texas.
As per FDA regulations, companies are required to label foods containing milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, and sesame.
On November 7, the FDA classified this recall as Class II, indicating that using or coming into contact with the butter “may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences.” The federal agency’s records show that the butter was distributed throughout Texas, without specifying the exact regions.
FDA mentioned that the recall of Kirkland Signature butter by Continental Dairy Facilities Southwest LLC was voluntary, and no press release was issued.
It is currently unclear whether any customers are allergic to this type of butter.
If you purchased Kirkland Signature brand butter before October 11 and it matches the recall information, and if you are sensitive or allergic to milk, please dispose of the butter promptly or return it to your local Costco for a refund.
FDA has not provided instructions for customers who have purchased this butter. FoodSafety.gov advises people to return the recalled products to the store of purchase for a refund or properly dispose of the products to prevent consumption by others or animals.
The “best by” dates and food batch numbers for the recalled butter products are as follows:
Batch number 2424091: “Best by” date of February 22, 2025 (Kirkland Signature unsalted sweet cream butter)
Batch number 2424111: “Best by” date of February 23, 2025 (Kirkland Signature unsalted sweet cream butter)
Batch number 2426891: “Best by” date of March 22, 2025 (Kirkland Signature unsalted sweet cream butter)
Batch number 2426991: “Best by” date of March 23, 2025 (Kirkland Signature unsalted sweet cream butter)
Batch number 2424191: “Best by” date of February 23, 2025 (Kirkland Signature salted sweet cream butter)
Batch number 2427591: “Best by” date of March 29, 2025 (Kirkland Signature salted sweet cream butter)
Milk is listed as one of the top nine food allergens by the FDA, but some consumers on social media have questioned the necessity of this recall.
“80,000 pounds of Costco butter just got recalled because it doesn’t say it has milk in it on the label,” wrote a user on a social platform. “It’s butter.”
Some consumers commented, “We all know butter contains milk.”
“Furthermore, ice is made of water,” another netizen wrote. “Who knew?”