The 12 Biggest Food Recalls In Costco History

Apart from its renowned rotisserie chickens and its famous food court hot dogs, Costco moves a lot of food and beverage items each year — $101 billion in sales worth, to be exact. That's a ton of food products coming into and out of stores, both of Costco's store brand Kirkland and partnering food providers. As meticulous as food safety standards are, inevitably, there will be times when products need to be recalled.

Sometimes, it's due to the risk of contagions or bacteria like E. coli or salmonella. Other times, it's because unlisted ingredients pose a threat to those with food allergies. There have even been instances of foreign objects, like bits of plastic, found inside food. With hundreds of Costcos around the United States, recalls can impact millions of consumers and thousands of pounds of food. From frozen foods to fresh products like eggs and ground beef, these are the biggest recalls Costco has issued throughout its history as a company.

As it turned out, 2024 was a rough year for chickens. An outbreak of the H5N1 strain swept through chicken farms across the United States, resulting in millions of birds needing to be culled and egg prices rising. Then, in late 2024, the problem came home to roost for Costco egg buyers.

On November 27, Costco — and the egg supplier Handsome Brook Farms — issued a voluntary recall for 10,800 units of the Kirkland Signature Organic Pasture Raised 24-Count Eggs due to the risk of salmonella poisoning. Although the eggs in question had been identified as being unfit to sell before shipment, an error occurred and the infected eggs were packaged and shipped out to retailers. The recall went out five days after the units were shipped to stores starting on November 22. The recall impacted 25 stores across five states: Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. In December, the U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture (FDA) classified the recall as a Class 1 risk, which is the highest ranking for health risks, indicating significant danger to the public — including death.

For individuals in good health, salmonella usually results in unpleasant but non-serious symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. For young children, people with compromised immune systems, and the elderly, however, salmonella can be deadly or result in serious infections. Thankfully, there were no reported illnesses from the salmonella outbreak.

The Great Kirkland Organic Egg recall wasn't the only recall to hit Costco in late 2024. A mass withdrawal of products also hit the butter aisle, removing nearly 80,000 pounds of butter from Costco shelves. Luckily, unlike with the egg recall, the reason for the butter recall wasn't as serious as a possible contamination or poisoning.

Rather, units of the Kirkland Signature Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter and the Kirkland Signature Salted Sweet Cream Butter left one crucial ingredient off its ingredient list: milk. While cream was listed as an ingredient, the packaging may not have had a "Contains Milk" statement to highlight the included ingredient and potential allergen. As a result, 46,800 pounds of the unsalted butter and 32,400 pounds of the salted were recalled. Due to the lower risk to public health, the FDA classified the recall as a Class II, meaning the likelihood of severe or widespread health consequences was remote.

Thanks to its high protein content and health benefits, Greek yogurt has skyrocketed in popularity over the last few years. Consumers have tons of different brands of Greek yogurt to choose from, some better than others. For Costco shoppers, that includes the chain's own brand Kirkland Greek yogurt, but the store also sells different brands, like Ellenos. Founded at Seattle's Pike Place Market in 2013, Ellenos has gone on to become a major player in the Greek yogurt space. However, in April 2023, the brand had to recall a bunch of its products from Costco stores.

Due to the risk of undeclared eggs, which is a potential allergen, Ellenos issued a recall for its 12-pack Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt 4 oz Cups. The recall went out to three states — Alaska, Oregon, and Washington — but no instances of sickness or death were reported. The defect was found after several cups were discovered to contain a bright yellow puree substance instead of the expected white yogurt. An internal investigation revealed that some of the cups meant for the Vanilla Bean yogurt had been filled with Lemon Curd-flavored yogurt, leading to the recall.

Along with grabbing a piping-hot Costco rotisserie chicken for dinner and snacking on a $1.50 hot dog after a shopping run, browsing the wares of Costco's frozen food aisles is one of the best parts of shopping at the store. Devout Costco shoppers know all the best hacks and secrets of the Costco frozen food section (sometimes it's cheaper to buy frozen products instead of fresh, for instance), as well as the best Costco frozen section items to buy vs. those that aren't worth it.

In April 2023, though, shoppers reaching for bags of frozen Pescanova Shrimp Street Tacos may have found an unpleasant surprise inside: plastic. After pieces of plastic measuring up to five millimeters in size were discovered, a recall was issued for bags purchased between March 23 and April 24. Luckily, no instances of injury were reported.

Costco's Kirkland brand offers much more than just food. It's also well-known among shoppers for its bargain liquors like tequila, rum, dry gin, and different types of whiskey. The brand's liquor sales have been on the rise, making between $6.5 and $7 billion dollars in global sales in 2023. However, Costco's liquors are a good deal for more reasons than just discount bulk prices. Costco also works with well-known distilleries and wineries for the products, ensuring its shoppers get high-quality products at attractive rates.

One of Costco's best liquors is its Kirkland American vodka, which sells for between $20 to $25. It's so good that many people suspected it was white-label Grey Goose for a while. However, in August 2023, some shoppers complained in a Reddit thread about some off-smelling aromas and flavors like "diesel fuel." Thankfully, the bad smells and tastes weren't unsafe for consumption and didn't pose a threat to public health, but still, no one wants to drink vodka that smells and tastes foul. A recall was issued for specific lots sold between June 12 and August 10, and, per its generous policy, Costco refunded anyone who had bought one of the bad bottles.

An official statement as to why some bottles were off and some weren't was never released. A Reddit theory suggested that the product had been stored in uncleaned vats used for rum, impacting the taste and nose. This was just a theory, however, and Costco never gave an official reason.

While food recalls can be annoying (and sometimes, scary), they are for everyone's health and safety. When there's a risk of contamination or outbreak, it's better to be safe than sorry.

That was the case for a Costco food recall in March 2023, when 4-pound bags of Kirkland Signature Frozen Organic Strawberries were pulled from shelves in Los Angeles and Hawaii Costcos, as well as two business centers in San Diego. They were removed from stores after being linked with an outbreak of Hepatitis A found in Washington state. Testing didn't find any signs of contamination on the products themselves, but they were still recalled out of an abundance of caution, per an FDA recall announcement. A contagious liver disease, Hepatitis A can cause both mild and severe symptoms, from fatigue and abdominal aches to jaundice. In people with poor health or compromised immune systems, it can lead to liver failure, which is why it's not to be taken lightly. In addition to Costco shoppers, the outbreak also impacted frozen strawberry products at Trader Joe's and Aldi.

The biggest recall in Costco history impacted not a food product, but a beverage one. In early 2023, people knocking back a can of Kirkland Signature Colombian Cold Brew Coffee may have encountered something inside besides rich cold brew — a piece of metal.

On February 17, 2023, Berner Food & Beverage put out a recall notice for the Colombian cold brew coffees it produced for Costco's Kirkland brand, citing a risk of foreign material contamination. A bolt had been found on a can, and out of an abundance of caution, a mass recall was announced — and we mean mass.

Nearly 3 million cans (around 2.7 million, to be precise) were pulled from shelves across 13 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Texas, Utah, and Washington. One of the reasons for the large-scale recall was how long the potentially impacted product had been on shelves. The notice sent out by Berner cited products purchased between November 5, 2022, and February 10, 2023. Thankfully, no injuries were reported, and the notice directed impacted consumers to report the products to Costco for a full refund.

Costco's most famous poultry product is likely its $4.99 rotisserie chicken, but that's far from the only chicken it sells. In the frozen section, you can also find chicken nuggets, chicken wings, and chicken patties, both by the Kirkland brand and other businesses. In October 2022, Foster Farms had to pull hundreds of thousands of pounds of frozen chicken patties from Costco shelves in a mass recall after customers reported finding bits of clear, hard plastic within the patties.

At Costco stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah, and Washington, roughly 148,000 pounds of Foster Farms Frozen Chicken Patties were flagged as potentially being contaminated with plastic. While no injuries were reported when the defect was discovered, the possibility that the sharp plastic could harm consumers biting into the chicken patties warranted a Class 1 designation. Customers were advised to throw away the affected product or return it. Of the 148,000 pounds recalled, 71,800 pounds were recovered.

The Foster Farms frozen chicken patty fiasco wasn't the only recall to hit Costco in October 2022. Customers cracking open recently bought bags of Kirkland Signature Shelled Walnuts might have been met by an unpleasant smell. If they could disregard the "rancid" aroma enough to try one, the shelled nuts would likely have tasted stale and unappetizing.

While the bad taste and smell weren't deemed a significant threat to public health or caused by bacteria, it was still off-putting enough to warrant a recall. Mid Valley Nut Company, the company responsible for growing and processing Kirkland brand walnuts, put out a notice to recall 3-pound bags bought between September 11 and October 25 of that year. Along with a list of the affected lot codes and best-by dates on the bags to help customers identify impacted bags, the notice recommended that customers return the product to Costco for a full refund. A reason for the smell and taste wasn't given, but Mid Valley Nut did apologize for the inconvenience. As no reports of sickness or illness were reported, this was just an instance of an inconvenient recall and not a dangerous one.

It's estimated that around 33 million people in the United States have a food allergy. Of that 33 million, around 3.9 million are allergic to tree nuts. With food allergies affecting millions of people across the United States, food companies need to make sure that their products list all the ingredients, so those with food allergies know what foods to avoid.

However, accidents can still happen, and this was the case in 2021. Eighteen-ounce bags of Torn Ranch Organic Dark Chocolate Blueberries were distributed to Costcos in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington that could have potentially contained tree nuts — particularly almonds. However, the tree nuts weren't listed on the bags as possible ingredients, risking the health and safety of consumers with tree nut allergies. About 32,000 pounds of product were pulled from shelves as a result. Even though there was only the possibility that the bags had almonds (or had been prepared in a facility with tree nuts present), the company still voluntarily issued the recall out of an abundance of caution.

Luckily, most of Costco's food recalls haven't included instances of sickness or illness. For the most part, recalls have taken place before many people can eat the affected product, and the fallout has been minimal. However, there have been some exceptions, like the rotisserie chicken salad recall of 2015.

In November and December 2015, batches of Costco Rotisserie Chicken Salad were linked to an E.coli outbreak. At least 19 people fell ill, with five hospitalized and two developing kidney failure. Thankfully, there were no deaths. With the outbreak impacting people across seven different states, the scope of possible infection was massive, leading to a large-scale recall. It's believed that the source of the outbreak was a veggie blend of diced celery and onion provided by Taylor Farms Pacific and used in the rotisserie chicken salad. E. coli O157:H7 was detected in the blend during testing by the Montana Public Health Laboratory, but additional testing by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) couldn't confirm the results. Whatever the source, this recall was one of Costco's most severe due to how many people fell ill.

This one takes the cake for the biggest food-item recall in Costco history, impacting the chain's meat department. In June 1998, roughly 172,000 pounds of Kirkland Signature Ground Beef were recalled due to an E. coli contamination. The outbreak was detected after an elderly woman fell ill after consuming the beef at a barbecue, leading to a recall across 24 states including New York where the affected woman lived.

The recall impacted several different Costco ground beef products, like Kirkland Signature Ground Beef Patties and Kirkland Signature Ground Sirloin and Loin of Beef Patties. The source of the contaminated beef was also successfully traced back to a California plant. Luckily, the New York woman was the only reported instance of illness, so a mass outbreak was avoided. However, it's possible that the issue wasn't the beef itself, but rather how it was handled. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that the woman hadn't washed her hands after handling the raw beef. At the same time, other people at the same party had also eaten the allegedly-contaminated meat and not fallen ill. Whether the issue was improper handling or actually contaminated beef, it still stands as Costco's largest recall of a food product.