Costco Just Recalled 80,000 Pounds of Butter for a Very Surprising Reason

Food recalls normally happen because of contamination (like E.coli, listeria, and salmonella), but a latest recall involving Costco products has the Internet scratching their heads. On October 11, the retailer announced a voluntary recall of almost 80,000 pounds of butter due to its packaging not having the phrase “Contains Milk.”

Yes, you read that right. The butter was recalled because its packaging failed to mention an undeclared allergen: milk… which is a main ingredient of butter. The FDA listed the reason for the recall as “Butter lists cream, but may be missing the Contains Milk statement.” On November 7, the FDA classified it as a Class II recall which the agency describes as “a situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.”

The butter products in question are 1,300 cases (46,800 pounds) of Kirkland Signature Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter and 900 cases (32,400 pounds) of Kirkland Signature Salted Sweet Cream Butter. Both are 16-ounce, four-stick packs. The products were manufactured and distributed by Continental Dairy Facilities Southwest LLC in Texas. Below are the lot numbers and Best By dates:

Kirkland Signature Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter: Lot 2424091 – Best By Feb 22, 2025; Lot 2424111 – Best By Feb 23, 2025; Lot 2426891- Best By Mar 22, 2025; Lot 2426991 – Best by Mar 23, 2025

Kirkland Signature Salted Sweet Cream Butter: Lot 2424191 – Best By Feb 23, 2025; Lot 2427591 – Best By Mar 29, 2025

While it may seem a bit silly that the recall happened because packaging failed to list what one would think is an obvious ingredient, the bright side is that the FDA is diligent when it comes to common allergens. In fact, a federal law requires that labels of most packaged foods disclose whether it contains major food allergens. Nine foods are classified as a major food allergen, they are: milk, egg, fish (such as bass, flounder, or cod), crustacean shellfish (such as crab, lobster, or shrimp), tree nuts (such as almonds, pecans, or walnuts), wheat, peanuts, soybeans, and sesame.