The Worst Coffee Recalls Ever Recorded In US History

Americans love coffee and it shows. Coffee consumption in the United States hit a 20-year high in 2024 with a 37% increase since 2004, according to the National Coffee Association, an industry trade group. Part of that coffee drinking surge may be due to the prevalence of canned coffee drinks. But with all those coffee products being produced, there's more room for problems that have led to a plethora of manufacturer recalls of certain products.

The reasons for the recalls have varied. People have found foreign objects like metal mixed with coffee. In other instances, canned coffee has been recalled for being a potential breeding ground for deadly toxins or possibly tainted by chemicals. Other major recalls have been due to mislabeling mishaps where caffeinated coffee was accidentally swapped for decaf. Thankfully, unlike other food and beverage recalls that have turned deadly, there haven't been any reported illnesses or deaths associated with the worst coffee recalls ever recorded in U.S. history.

When it comes to Costco, bigger always seems to be better, at least when buying in bulk. But unfortunately for the members-only wholesaler, its food and beverage recalls have also been on the large side. In February 2023, Costco had to pull nearly 3 million cans of its private label Kirkland Signature Colombian Cold Brew Coffee from the shelves and warn its customers. What spurred the recall? Potentially floating inside the coffee packaged in metal cans were metal shards. Not so tasty.

The company that made the product for Costco, Berner Foods Inc., of Dakota, Illinois, voluntarily recalled over 2.7 million cans of the cold brew coffee. The FDA labeled the recall as Class II, meaning that exposure to the tainted product could "cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote." The agency didn't report anyone getting sick from the product and the recall ended in February 2024.

The innovative ready-to-drink canned coffee company Snapchill used a patented system to quickly cool its hot coffee products before canning, making for a different taste than traditional cold brew. But in June 2024, Snapchill recalled all of its hundreds of different products, nearly 300 varieties of canned RTD coffee in total, many of them private-label products for a variety of other companies. The recall was nationwide. The problem was Snapchill hadn't filed its low-acid canned food process with the FDA, which is required by law.

More importantly, the federal agency believed the company's process could lead to the production of the deadly toxin Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism. This type of food poisoning can be deadly, with symptoms that can include problems with swallowing and breathing and muscle weakness, according to the FDA. No one ever reported being sickened by the company's products but the damage was done. It's unclear if Snapchill survived the massive recall; its website is no longer up.

While some coffee recalls stem from foreign objects finding their way into a product or a problem with the way its made, sometimes there are other issues that arise that require pulling items from shelves. That was the case with Califia Farms, which is known for its prepackaged cold brew coffee and plant-based products like almond milk. Back in August 2018, the brand's Arabica Coffee Mocha Cold Brew with Almond Milk may have had extra, unpleasant ingredients introduced into the mix.

The California-based company voluntarily recalled more than 24,000 cases of its 48-ounce bottles of the product that were shipped across the United States and to Canada after discovering the accidental addition of industrial cleaners in the coffee. The problem arose when the company was cleaning a pasteurizer, at which time the chemicals may have gotten into the batch of mocha cold brew and almond milk. There were no reported instances of customers getting sick from the product. The FDA, which had labeled the recall Class II, terminated the recall in February 2019.

In March 2025, one of the country's largest coffee suppliers, Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA, pulled around 700 cases of its 12-ounce bags of coffee sold under the Our Family brand name. The specific product was called Traverse City Cherry Decaf Light Roast Ground Coffee. While the affected coffee only amounted to a little over 4,000 bags, which isn't a ton of product compared to some of the aforementioned recalls, it had gone out to retailers in 15 states, still making the problem a fairly big one.

Many food and beverage recalls stem from mislabeling issues, like when allergens don't appear on a product's label. In the case of Our Family, coffee that had been labeled decaf was in fact caffeinated. This could have been a big problem for people who have certain medical conditions or are on medications that interact badly with caffeine. There were no reported cases of anyone getting sick. The FDA terminated the Class II recall in July 2025. 

If you ever find yourself with recalled food or beverage you need to safely dispose of, you can return it to where it was purchased, but be sure to follow any instructions given in the recall. So while you should continue to enjoy your morning cup of joe and canned coffee drinks, it doesn't hurt to keep an eye on the FDA's website just in case.