40t of butter recalled in US over labelling error
Manufacturer's A With To Is Milk” The Due Butter Packaging Not Have Wrong Error, Does “contains Only That, A The The Statement Thing
"Nanny state" accusations are inevitable after the US Food and Drug Administration warned householders to throw out any of the 40 tons of perfectly good butter, which is the subject of a controversial food recall.
"Do not eat it under any circumstances", warned the FDA, and ensure that no one accidentally consumes it (not even animals).
However, the only thing wrong with the butter is that, due to a manufacturer's error, the packaging does not have a “contains milk” statement.
Therefore, there should be no problem with eating it unless anyone in the household is lactose-intolerant or allergic to milk. That would be the sensible decision, especially for people who buy butter in bulk, in preparation for Thanksgiving baking.
The 16-ounce packs have labels that name cream as an ingredient, but fail to mention milk, so an undeclared allergen is the cause of the recall.
Therefore, 40 tons of butter may be dumped to protect any people allergic to milk who do not know that butter is made from milk.
The recall affects specific batches of Kirkland Signature Butter sold at Costco. Costco Wholesale Corporation operates an international chain of membership warehouses, dealing with small to medium-sized businesses, but also with individuals purchasing for personal needs.
The FDA advised consumers who bought the butter to contact Costco about possible refunds.
Meanwhile, Costco and the FDA worked to rectify the labelling error, while ensuring that all affected products were removed from store shelves.
But it is probably with the butter manufacturer, Continental Dairy Facilities Southwest LLC, headquartered in Littlefield, Texas, that the buck will stop.
The affected butters were distributed throughout Texas. It is not known if any allergic reactions to the butter have been reported.
Posts on social media poked fun at the butter recall.
"Can y'all please safely dispose of it at my house? I have a lot of holiday baking to do," said another.
“I’ll take some off your hands if you wish. It’s really expensive in Sweden,” said an overseas poster.
Others wondered how little US consumers know about food if they need a disclaimer on packages of butter to tell them it is made with milk. Or why Costco could not simply have added a sticker with “contains milk” to the packaging to avoid food waste.
The incident illustrates the many allergen challenges for food companies. For example, the FDA adding sesame to its list of allergens required manufacturers to fully isolate tiny sesame seeds from other ingredients in their factories. However, this was such an onerous step for bakers and food producers that they instead add small amounts of sesame into all products and then list sesame as an allergen to cover themselves and avoid FDA scrutiny. As a result, there may be more danger than ever for those with sesame allergies.
Milk (and its products) is the third most common food, after peanuts and tree nuts, to cause anaphylaxis.
Casein and whey are the two main proteins in milk that can cause an allergic reaction. These proteins may be hard to avoid because they're also in some processed foods. Casein can be found in unexpected places, such as in some canned tuna, sausage, or non-dairy products. And most people who react to cow's milk will react to sheep, goat, and buffalo milk.
A true milk allergy differs from milk protein intolerance and lactose intolerance. The intolerances do not involve the immune system.
