Around 941,400 bottles of wine sold at Costco are being recalled as they “can break or shatter, posing a laceration hazard,” the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said in a recall notice on Nov. 6.
The recall is applicable to glass bottles of Kirkland Signature Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG that were manufactured in Italy and imported into the United States by Florida-based F&F Fine Wines International, Inc., doing business as Ethica Wines, the agency said.
“The UPC is 196633883742, and the Costco Item Number is 1879870. The product was sold in a green bottle with purple foil on the top and a purple label with the words ‘Kirkland Signature Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG,’” according to the notice.
The items were sold across 12 states—namely, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin—between April and August for approximately $8.
According to the CPSC, Ethica Wines stated that it received 10 consumer complaints about the bottles breaking or shattering, which has resulted in one laceration injury.
“Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled bottles and not attempt to open them. Consumers should discard the recalled bottles in their household trash and contact Ethica Wines for instructions on how to obtain a full refund from Costco,” the recall notice said.
The Epoch Times reached out to Costco and Ethica Wines for comment, but did not receive a response by publication time.
Kirkland Signature is Costco’s private label brand. Ethica has sent recall letters to customers who bought the wine bottles from Costco. According to the letter, the customer can get a full refund of the purchase price if they present the letter to the nearest Costco location and/or the purchase is verified.
The company clarified that customers should not return the wine bottles to Costco.
Another recall of Kirkland Signature Prosecco Valdobbiadene wine bottles was issued by Costco in September, warning that the unopened bottles could shatter even when not handled or in use.
The bottles were sold between April 25 and Aug. 26, carried the item number 1879870, and were sold across 12 states.
While glass bottle packaging of food and beverages can pose a risk to customers due to its vulnerability to shatter, glass also presents another serious risk—contaminants in food items.
Over the past months, multiple recalls have been issued due to food items being contaminated with glass fragments.
In August, Dollar General Corporation recalled three lots of its eight-ounce instant coffee, citing this issue.
The recall was initiated after a customer notified the company’s employees about the presence of glass pieces in the coffee products.
In April, the Maryland-based Upper Crust Bakery withdrew several bread products from multiple states due to the presence of glass fragments.
According to a September 2023 study published in the National Library of Medicine, foreign material contamination, such as glass, plastic, or wooden fragments, has been responsible for approximately 1 out of every 10 recalls of food products over the past two decades.
“Glass is a particularly difficult foreign material to detect as it is transparent and difficult to see when present in foods. At the same time, glass fragments are the most likely hazard to result in injury and litigation,” the study said.
“The most likely sources of glass in the processing plant are light fixtures, gauge covers, or glass food containers like bottles or jars.”
Ingesting glass not only results in cuts and bleeding but also may require surgery to remove the fragments.
The study recommended auditing glass and hard, brittle plastic at food manufacturing plants. When auditing, all materials at the plant containing glass or hard, brittle plastic should be taken into account.
“If breakage occurs, the affected areas must be isolated, and employees around the area should look for glass or plastic pieces. Any material should be collected and properly discarded,” the study said.
