Costco expands urgent recall of contaminated ready-to-eat food | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

Food recalls occur with alarming frequency — or at least it seems that way.

Peruse the FDA or USDA websites, and you’ll realize there is at least one food recall every single week, and it makes sense that the biggest grocery retailers — Costco, Walmart, and Kroger — would endure the most frequent recalls.

Costco is now recalling two popular deli products — its signature Caesar Salad and the Chicken Sandwich with Caesar Salad — after discovering that certain batches could contain plastic fragments in the salad dressing.

This recall is part of a growing list of food safety alerts in 2025, as retailers attempt to react quickly to contamination threats often linked to complex, centralized supply chains.

Recent Costco food recalls

September 2025 Kirkland Signature Ahi Tuna Wasabi Poke: Listeria found in green onions used in tuna poke; 33 states.
September 2025 Kirkland Prosecco Valdobbiadene: Risk of bottle shattering unexpectedly; 12 states
September 2025 Pin Dubai Style Chocolate: Mislabeled gluten instead of wheat, allergy hazard; national.
September 2025 Jimmy Dean Pancake & Sausage on Stick: Possible wood fragments in batter; national.
July-September 2025 Eggs (specific lots): Salmonella risk; two states.
June 2025 Topo Chico Mineral Water (18-pack): Contamination with Pseudomonas bacteria; two states.
April-May 2025 Fresh and Ready Foods Prepared Sandwiches & Salads: Listeria contamination in Turkey Bacon Club, Garlic Pesto Salad; four states.

Costco has issued several food recalls in recent months.

Image source&colon; Shutterstock

The latest Costco food recall

The new recall, announced on November 7 by Costco and its supplier, Ventura Foods, was issued when the company learned tiny bits of plastic may have ended up inside Caesar dressing packets accompanying these deli items.

The affected items — Caesar Salad and Chicken Sandwich with Caesar Salad — were distributed across Costco locations in the Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast.

Costco communicated the recall directly to members through email alerts and its product recall page, which the company regularly updates to reflect ongoing safety notices.

The notice includes specific item codes and relevant “sell by” dates, as well as locations where the product was distributed, making it easier for consumers to identify and remove potentially hazardous food from their homes.

Key details from the Costco recall:

Item number: Caesar Salad Item #19927, Chicken Sandwich with Caesar Salad Item #11444
Sell by dates: October 17 – November 9, 2025
Locations: Midwest, Southeast, Northeast

The Caesar Salad and Chicken Sandwich with Caesar Salad have been pulled from Costco shelves, but officials warn that some customers may still have the salad or sandwich in their refrigerators or pantries, especially the dressing packets.

Why ready-to-eat foods are often subject to recalls

Salads and other convenient, ready-to-eat items remain especially susceptible to contamination because they’re produced and packed centrally before distribution.

In this latest recall, the possible presence of plastic fragments in the dressing means that consuming the food could result in mouth injury or digestive tract damage. Food safety experts urge any consumer who purchased this product during the affected dates to throw the product away, especially the Caesar dressing pouch.

Other food recalls in 2025

This incident marks another entry in a lengthy series of fresh food recalls affecting U.S. grocery chains this year. There have already been more than 300 food recalls in 2025, according to AP News.

Ready-to-eat product recalls have increased in recent years, as these foods have become staples on Americans’ dining tables.

Even the most stringent supply chain protocols cannot fully eliminate the risk of foreign material entering food products along multi-location supply chains.

Eggs: Over 6 million eggs were recalled across several states beginning in late September due to salmonella concerns. Black Sheep Egg Company first pulled their products, with the recall expanding to include Kenz Henz in October.
Chicken: Hormel Foods recalled nearly 5 million pounds of ready-to-eat frozen chicken in October after metal fragments were discovered in product batches. The source was traced to a damaged conveyor belt, affecting food-service customers nationwide.
Pasta Products: Nate’s Fine Foods initiated a recall of approximately 245,000 pounds of pre-cooked pasta in October after the FDA linked products to an ongoing listeria outbreak. Distributed widely to Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Kroger, and other major retailers, these items resulted in multiple hospitalizations and more than a dozen deaths across 15 states.
Shrimp: AquaStar (USA) Corp recalled 18,000 bags of Kroger Mercado frozen shrimp in August after concerns about cesium-137 (radioactive) contamination. Several other brands and retailers were also impacted in subsequent months.
Prepared Meals (Meal Kits) from HelloFresh, Blue Apron, and Marley Spoon recalled meal kits in October due to listeria found in diced cauliflower and spinach ingredients. The recall applied to meals shipped nationwide from September through October. Source: FDA

Recalls are costly for businesses and often affect more than the bottom line as they can mean customers no longer trust the brand.

Historic trends show that rapid response (i.e., direct member alerts and easy refunds) is essential for minimizing fallout and maintaining customer loyalty.

What Costco customers should do

Double-check any packaged Caesar Salad and Chicken Sandwich with Caesar Salad purchased from Costco between mid-October and early November 2025 for the affected item codes and sell-by dates.
Do not consume the dressing packets; return the products to Costco for a refund.
Stay informed by subscribing to recall notifications from major retailers and federal safety agencies like the FDA or the Food Safety Inspection Service arm of the USDA, as food safety incidents remain an ongoing risk.

Like other recent recalls, the latest Costco recall highlights just how connected consumer safety depends on supply chains. and consumer safety in today’s marketplace.

Shoppers must rely on clear communication from retailers and robust recall protocols to safeguard their families, as food safety will likely remain a headline issue for months to come. But they also need to pay attention to the agencies that issue recalls, such as the FDA and USDA.

Customers can return Caesar salad items to any Costco warehouse for a full refund, even if they do not have a receipt.

For questions or assistance, Costco customer support provides help both online and at its service desk. The recall alert will remain posted for several months to ensure ongoing awareness.