Nearly 80,000 Pounds Of Costco Butter Affected By A Class II Recall

The FDA announced early last month that close to 80,000 pounds of Costco's Kirkland Signature Butter was being pulled and that recall has just been upgraded to a Class II as of November 7. While Continental Dairy Facilities Southwest LLC commenced a voluntary recall of these products in October, the updated classification comes as the FDA discovered that packages of Kirkland butter don't contain the necessary "Contains Milk" allergy statement despite cream being listed as an ingredient.

According to the FDA's website, a Class II recall is different from a Class III recall in that it's more likely to cause "temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences." In this case, the cream is considered an undisclosed dairy that could negatively impact consumers with a dairy allergy. If you aren't allergic to dairy, the recall isn't about any possible foodborne illnesses, so you can keep and use the butter as normal.

This recall includes 46,800 pounds of Kirkland Signature Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter and 32,400 pounds of Kirkland Signature Salted Sweet Cream Butter. These butter products were reportedly distributed to Costco locations in Texas and have "best by" dates ranging between February 22, 2025 and March 29, 2025. So, double-check the butter in your fridge or freezer if you believe that your butter is affected. For additional information, check the FDA's announcement.

As with most recalls like this, you should be able to return the relevant butter products back to Costco for a refund, though you'll want to check with your local store. If you have a known dairy allergy, it's probably best to discard it, as the butter does in fact contain dairy. Again, those without this allergy should be in the clear to consume this butter without any adverse health effects.

Milk is one of the nine foods defined by the FDA as a major food allergen, alongside eggs, wheat, and peanuts. Therefore, it's always best to carefully read food labels for statements like "Contains Milk, Peanuts, or Soy." Some food manufacturers may not include this statement on their product labels, which unfortunately does not necessarily mean the item doesn't contain that allergen. In all likelihood, this was a simple oversight which was caught by the FDA, but it's not unreasonable to assume that there are other products currently on shelves which are misleading consumers.

"If you're unsure about whether a food product contains any ingredient to which you are sensitive, don't buy it, or check with the manufacturer or distributor listed on the food product's label first to ask what it contains," Carol D'Lima, food technologist with the Office of Nutrition and Food Labeling at the FDA, says. It's always better to be on the safe side, especially when it comes to food allergies.