Coca-Cola quietly recalls over 10,000 contaminated cans in the Midwest while consumers remain largely uninformed about potential health risks from plastic particles in their beverages.
Key Takeaways
- More than 10,000 Coca-Cola cans have been recalled in Wisconsin and Illinois due to plastic contamination
- The recall was voluntarily initiated on March 6 by Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling but has received minimal public notification
- The FDA classified this as a Class II recall, indicating potential temporary health consequences
- No press release was issued about the contamination, raising questions about transparency
- This incident joins a growing trend of foreign materials found in consumer food products
Silent Recall Raises Consumer Safety Concerns
Coca-Cola has quietly recalled approximately 864 cases (10,368 cans) of its Original Taste 12-pack products in Illinois and Wisconsin after discovering plastic contaminants in the beverages. The voluntary recall, initiated on March 6 by Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling in Milwaukee, has flown largely under the radar with no official press release issued to warn consumers about potential health risks. The affected products can be identified by date code SEP2925MDA, time stamp 1100-1253, can UPC 0 49000-00634 6, and 12-can pack UPC 0 49000-02890 4.
Over 10,000 cans of Original Coca-Cola were recalled due to potential plastic contamination. Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling initiated the recall on 3/6, & the FDA classified it as Class II on 3/24, suggesting temporary health risks. It affects 864 12-packs of 12-ounce cans from… pic.twitter.com/i7XBEZTAZJ
— BreakinNewz (@BreakinNewz01) March 26, 2025
The FDA has classified this as a Class II recall, a designation that acknowledges potential health consequences while suggesting they may not be severe. According to the FDA, a Class II recall represents “a situation in which use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.” Despite this acknowledgment of risk, the lack of widespread notification has left many consumers potentially drinking contaminated products unaware.
Corporate Response Prioritizes Image Over Information
Rather than directly addressing the contamination issue, Coca-Cola has framed the recall as a quality standards matter. In a carefully worded statement provided to media outlets, the company seemingly downplayed the potential hazards of consuming plastic particles. The handling of this recall raises serious questions about corporate transparency and whether profit margins are being prioritized over public health notification. With no termination date announced for the recall and minimal details provided about how the contamination occurred, consumers are left without crucial information.
“Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling is voluntarily recalling 864 cases of 12-pack Coca-Cola Classic in 12-oz cans in Illinois and Wisconsin,” a company spokesperson said Wednesday in an emailed statement to USA TODAY. “The cases are being withdrawn because they did not meet our high-quality standards. We are taking this voluntary action because nothing is more important to us than providing high-quality products to the people who drink our beverages.”
The center classification date for the recall was March 24, nearly three weeks after the initial recall actions began. This timing gap between identification of the problem and official classification raises additional concerns about how quickly regulatory authorities are responding to potential public health threats. While consumers are advised to return affected products for a full refund, the limited public awareness campaign virtually ensures many contaminated products will still be consumed.
#RECALL: Cans of Coca-Cola sold in Wisconsin and Illinois may contain plastic https://t.co/Qd7mx4MZVw
— WBAY-TV 2 (@WBAY) March 26, 2025
Pattern of Food Safety Failures Continues
This Coca-Cola recall is just the latest in an alarming series of food safety incidents involving foreign materials in consumer products. Recent months have seen similar recalls from major brands including Stouffer’s and Lean Cuisine frozen entrées, suggesting systemic problems in food processing quality control. These incidents highlight the potential regulatory gaps in our food safety system, where companies can quietly handle contamination issues with minimal public notification requirements, even when health risks are identified.
For consumers concerned about potential exposure, checking package codes against the FDA’s website listing is currently the only reliable method to identify affected products. The contrast between the massive marketing budgets these companies deploy to promote their products and the minimal resources allocated to informing the public about safety issues is striking. While taxpayers fund regulatory agencies like the FDA to protect public health, these incidents demonstrate how corporate interests often dictate the level of transparency provided to consumers about potential health risks in their everyday products.
