Nearly 80,000 pounds of Costco butter recalled over undeclared, somewhat obvious ingredient

Just under 80,000 pounds of Kirkland-brand butter made for Costco has been recalled over an undeclared allergen.

Milk. That allergen is milk.

Continental Dairy Facilities Southwest LLC initiated the recall last month after it was determined that some of the butter’s packaging may be missing the language reading “contains milk,” according to details made available by the Food and Drug Administration last week. Both a salted version of the Kirkland Signature butter (32,400 pounds) and the unsalted (46,800 pounds) were affected.

According to the FDA’s event details, the butter had been distributed for sale in Texas. The agency also categorized the incident as a “Class II” recall, meaning that the “violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.”

The FDA has not issued a press release regarding the recall; it is unclear if anyone had suffered any allergic reactions to the butter.

Meanwhile, social media observers appeared equally amused and disappointed by the fact that customers need to be informed that butter is indeed a dairy product or that its packaging requires language reading “contains milk.”

The FDA, however, imposes such rules on behalf of consumers who may have serious reactions to one of several “major food allergens.” Nine such foods are crustacean shellfish, eggs, fish, milk, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, tree nuts, and wheat.

Exceptions are made if the “common” name of the ingredient already includes the allergen name (the FDA lists “buttermilk” as an example), but otherwise, the allergens must be clearly labeled either in parenthesis next to the allergen-containing component or in a “contains” statement.

“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,” Carol D’Lima, food technologist with the Office of Nutrition and Food Labeling at the FDA, said.

The recall was initiated by the makers of Kirkland-brand butter last month, after it was determined that some of the packaging may be missing required language.