The FDA Issues Soda Recall Across Multiple States — Know Before You Drink
The soft drinks are part of a Class II and Class III recall.
Published June 7 2024, 3:50 p.m. ET
Soda lovers, beware: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a recall for several soft drinks sold across the United States. The recall includes nearly 3,000 gallons of drinks that were sold in nine different states.
If you're someone who regularly likes a glass of the fizzy (and not-so-fizzy) stuff you may want to be extra cautious about which brands you're sipping on. Here's everything you need to know about the recall, including what to do if you're worried that you've purchased one of the items on the FDA's list.
The Charles Boggini Company has several items on the FDA recall list.
According to Newsweek, several of Charles Boggini's flavor additives are being recalled from store shelves due to potentially dangerous ingredients. The recall includes several lemonade bases, as well as a cola flavoring. Folks in California, Nevada, Illinois, Michigan, Arizona, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut should be on the lookout for products with these lot numbers:
- Pink Lemonade 1-017
- Cola Flavoring Base 9-330, 9-348, 1-013, 1-036, 1-097
- Yellow Lemonade 1-065
- Yellow Lemonade X 1-015
This includes those flavors that come in both one and five-gallon varieties and were sold prior to the end of March 2024. The Pink Lemonade and Cola Flavoring Base were both listed as Class II hazards, which means they are potentially dangerous. The FDA said in the recall that the lemonade had FD&C Red No. 40 (not to be confused with the controversial FD&C Red No. 3), while the Cola option contained sulfites that hadn't been listed as part of their ingredients.
The FDA requires manufacturers to declare the presence of FD&C Red No. 40, prompting the lemonade recall. And as for the sulfites, these are commonly included in foods to help with preservation. According to Newsweek, these two products account for more than 2,750 gallons of the total recalled products.
The other lemonade mixes included in the recall were listed as Class III hazards, which is less severe than Class II, after also getting flagged for having undeclared additives — specifically FD&C Yellow No. 5, which is a synthetic food dye — among their ingredients.
Restaurants are the main buyers of these products.
While it helps the public to stay aware of product recalls like this, the average consumer is unlikely to have any of these items on their shelves. However, those in the restaurant business may want to be extra cautious when adding flavor bases to their soft drink machines since that's where these items are most likely to appear.
The FDA will continue to issue recall updates on this product, and any other products it deems fit, on their website. If you have any questions, you can contact them via phone at 1-888-463-6332 or by visiting their website to check out the resources offered in your specific state.
