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Costco has urgently recalled cold and flu medicines citing a ‘potential foreign material contamination’ accidentally shipped across the U.S.
The retailer released a statement warning consumers who had bought Kirkland Signature Severe Cold & Flu Plus Congestion medication from stores in the Midwest and Southeast of the country.
‘Out of an abundance of caution, LNK has initiated a recall for the accidental release and shipment of a specific lot code that was rejected due to potential foreign material contamination,’ the statement read.
Costco urged customers not to use any remaining product marked with lot code P140082.
The statement assured that customers would be eligible for a full refund if they return the item to their local store.
People who bought the medication between October 30 and November 30 were urged to check the boxes.
File photo. Costco urged customers to check some products and return them for a full refund
People who bought the medication between October 30 and November 30 were urged to check the boxes
Customers with any issues or concerns were urged to call LNK International Inc. at 1-800-436-9391 or email complaints-inquiries@lnkintl.com.
Last month, 8,640 boxes of Kirkland Severe Cold & Flu Plus Congestion Day and Night were recalled by the FDA as the active ingredient oral phenylephrine was judged ‘not effective’ as a nasal decongestant following review, FOX 10 reports.
Boxes of the cold and flu product recalled in December had lot numbers P139953 or P139815, expiring in August 2026.
The winter season has seen cold and flu cases soar, with reports of influenza rising 12 per cent in the last week of December, according to the CDC.
Five influenza-related deaths were reported that week for a total of nine this season, as of December 27.
Some 63 million Americans have meanwhile been warned to brace for dire weather as schools and government offices are shuttered, with Snow Storm Blair moving east.
Temperatures across two-thirds of the US are expected to fall 12-25F below normal today, after reaching 11 below in Minnesota, on the Canadian border, on Sunday.
The National Weather Service warned that affected regions could see their heaviest snowfall ‘in at least a decade’, some experiencing their coldest weather since 2011.
The Organic Pasture Raised 24-Count Eggs with the UPC number 9661910680 are packaged in plastic egg cartons labeled with Kirkland Signature on the top
The recall only applies to products with the Julian code 327 and a use by date of January 5, 2025, which can be found printed on the side of the plastic egg carton. No other products are impacted by this recall
Beyond the cold and flu medication recall, Costco was recently forced to recall eggs over fears of salmonella contamination.
On November 27, Handsome Brook Farms issued a recall notice of 10,800 units of Organic Pasture Raised 24-Count Eggs sold under the Kirkland Signature brand name.
The eggs were sold at 25 Costco stores across Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee beginning on November 22.
New York-based manufacturer Handsome Brook Farms said the eggs were not intended for sale but somehow they were packaged and distributed ‘by mistake.’
The FDA has since updated the recall as a ‘Class I’ as the eggs ‘have the potential to be contaminated with the bacteria salmonella, which hospitalizes 26,000 Americans every year.
A ‘Class I’ recall is a ‘situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death’.
