The Massive Canned Coffee Botulism Recall, Explained

Earlier this month, beverage company Snapchill willingly recalled all of its canned coffee products due to concern that the products could contain botulism, a potentially fatal toxin. Snapchill sells canned cold coffees under its own name, and also distributes products in conjunction with roasters all over the United States — all of which have been pulled from shelves and are currently listed as "sold out" on their website, likely due to the recall.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published Snapchill's statement on its website to help spread awareness of the recall and keep consumers informed. Canned coffee cold brew can stay fresh for a fairly long time, but if manufactured incorrectly it can cause botulism. The FDA explains that botulism is a potentially lethal type of food poisoning caused by botulinum toxin that can grow in low acid canned goods, like canned coffee. Per the statement, "no illnesses have been reported to-date, and Snapchill is not aware of any instances in which the company's products contained botulin toxin." While there seems to be no danger to consumers thus far, Snapchill is unable to sell its coffee products at the moment and is giving refunds for those returning their canned coffee.

While the company has yet to have any concrete evidence of botulin toxin in its products, the reason for the recall came after the FDA pointed out an issue with Snapchill's manufacturing process. Snapchill hadn't received FDA approval for their low acid canned-good manufacturing and needed to recall their products until the proper filing was complete. As per the FDA website, a recall is "a firm's removal or correction of a marketed product that the FDA considers to be in violation of the laws it administers and against which the agency would initiate legal action." So, while Snapchill voluntarily decided to recall its products, there's a chance that none of the canned coffees contain botulin toxin — but better safe than sorry.

According to their statement, Snapchill is working to file the correct manufacturing process with the FDA at the moment, though it's unclear when the company will resume sales. It's worth noting that the recall includes products under the official Snapchill label, as well as products sold by other roasters under the Snapchill LLC label, which are all named in a lengthy product list found in the FDA statement. Those who currently have any Snapchill-produced canned coffees are supposed to either dispose of them or return them to ensure safety, especially if the cans are dented — which is more serious than people think – as it can lead to increased risk of botulism.