FDA Upgrades Recall of 80,000 Pounds of Costco Brand Butter

Shoppers leave a Costco store in Washington with a full cart on May 5, 2020. Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

A recall of tens of thousands of pounds of butter initiated by a Costco brand was upgraded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in an enforcement notice posted late last week.

In early October, the FDA confirmed two recalls of 79,200 pounds of Costco’s Kirkland Signature butter over a label issue. But on Nov. 7, the agency classified the recalls as Class II, meaning that the recalled product “may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.”

The reason for the recall is that the butter “lists cream, but may be missing the Contains Milk statement,” according to the FDA. Butter is made from cream and milk.

The agency notice said one product that is under recall is Kirkland Signature Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter (16-ounce) with the UPC of 96619-38496, lot numbers 2424091, 2424111, 2426891, or 2426991, and a best-by date of Feb. 22, 2025, Feb. 23, 2025, March 22, 2025, or March 23, 2025.

According to the FDA, the other recalled product is Kirkland Signature Salted Sweet Cream Butter (16-ounce), with UPC 96619-38488, lot number 2424191 or 2427591, and a best-by date of Feb. 23, 2025, or March 29, 2025.

Neither the FDA nor Costco has issued a statement on what to do if a consumer has purchased those items.

The FDA also has not said whether the recall is connected to any adverse reactions or whether Costco is accepting a refund for the recalled products, which is generally the standard course of action for recalls.

Continental Dairy Facilities Southwest LLC, a Texas-based company that produces the Kirkland butter, voluntarily recalled the product, according to the FDA notices.

Some prominent social media users, including former Libertarian Party presidential candidate Spike Cohen, appeared amused and dismayed that federal law stipulates that labels require products to declare that butter is, in fact, a dairy product.

However, the FDA says on its website that it has rules about declaring potential allergens because consumers may have a serious reaction to dairy. The nine major allergens listed by the FDA are crustacean shellfish, eggs, fish, milk, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, tree nuts, and wheat.

“It’s very important to read the entire ingredient list to see if your allergen is present. If you see its name even once, it’s back to the shelf for that food product too,” the FDA website says.

In a separate incident, Costco told customers in late October that certain packages of smoked salmon and Belgian waffles had been recalled due to a possible listeria bacterial contamination. The products are Kirkland Signature Smoked and Krusteaz Belgian Waffles, according to the company.

The Epoch Times contacted Costco for comment on Monday but received no reply by publication time.