First Cold Brew Coffee Recall
As I sit drinking my Jamaican Me Crazy morning coffee, I open the newest FDA recall announcement, and it is for Death Wish Coffee’s Death Wish Nitro Cold Brew. First, that’s an unfortunate name given that the recall is for the potential of botulism which is deadly. Putting that aside, I have been waiting for the first recall or outbreak of cold brew coffee. I have been telling anyone who listens that it is only a matter of time before there is a recall or outbreak. The business of food safety is secure.
The beauty of coffee is that it is made with hot water. Most of us have seen on TV or, in some cases, in person the harvesting, gathering, and shipping of coffee beans. The process is nasty. Mud, birds, and rodents are intimately involved in the process. The beans are roasted, but microbiologists like to say, “dirt in, dirt out.” Some of us don’t say “dirt.” After the beans are roasted, they are ground. Have you ever ground beans at the grocery store? I bet that piece of equipment never gets cleaned. What about at commercial roasters? How often does the equipment get cleaned? Or at your gas station/ convenience store? You get the picture.
Again, the beauty of coffee is that it is made with hot water. Folks, this is a needed kill step. FDA recently gave us Chapter 6 of the Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food: Draft Guidance for Industry in draft form. Chapter 6 is Use of Heat Treatments as a Process Control. Every food manufacturer should review this guidance.
This recall of coffee is of canned cold brew coffee. There was no kill step for Clostridium botulinum, and there is the potential for botulism. The company is faced with the fact that they cannot can cold brew coffee without destroying the flavor profile. Smart on their part is to announce that they have suspended the production of this product. It is also smart to work with a process authority like ConnectFood CEO Matthew Botos. There are nonthermal ways to approach the manufacture and packaging of cold brew coffee. That will cost upward of a million dollars, so profit margin needs to be high.
This is what we do at ConnectFood. We support; we educate. Right now though, I need more coffee.
Please comment on this blog post below. I love feedback! Still have questions? The ConnectFood website has free resources, and the folks at ConnectFood are here to help! Contact us.
Kathy Knutson, Ph.D., Lead Instructor for Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCHF), Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI), and trained in prevention of Intentional Adulteration (IA). She has food safety expertise in microbiology, hazard analysis, and risk assessment. As a recovering academic, she resides in Green Bay home-of-the-Packers, Wisconsin with her brilliant husband and two handsome sons. Learn more about her consulting services at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyknutsonphd.
