Food recalls are serious. When we hear about them, it’s usually because of a significant health concern or contamination.

Many recalls aren’t massive, but some, like the BrucePac and Boar’s Head recalls from earlier this year, get a lot of media attention. Others involve smaller lot of food items that don’t affect many people.

And then there’s the latest recall from Costco. The warehouse club giant has to recall 80,000 pounds of butter, and you won’t believe why.

What’s the allergen? Milk. BREAKING NEWS: Butter contains milk! I know this revelation comes as a shock. You may need to sit down for a minute.

Here’s how Food & Wine puts it:

If you've purchased any butter from Costco lately then it's time to check your fridge. 

In early October, the FDA sent out an initial recall on Kirkland Signature butter, produced by Continental Dairy Facilities Southwest LLC. The recall is for 79,200 pounds of butter due to an undeclared allergen. According to the FDA, the packages of both salted and unsalted Kirkland Signature Sweet Cream Butter list cream as an ingredient, but may not contain the "Contains Milk" allergy statement visible on the packaging.

The FDA classifies this recall as Class II, which signifies “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.” Oddly enough, the recall doesn’t appear on the FDA recall page or on Costco’s list of recalls as of this writing.

Related: Massive Recall Includes Nearly 10 Million Pounds of Meat in Ready-Made Salads and Meals

I’m not making fun of anyone with a milk allergy — or any food allergy for that matter. I know that these can be serious issues. But if somebody with a milk allergy bought these products thinking that he or she could use them because milk wasn’t listed as an allergen even though it’s on the list of ingredients, he or she might not need to try cooking anything.

As my friend and colleague Megan Fox put it, “Fire the entire Department of Education. That’s the only answer.”

The recalled items were produced and sold in Texas. Here’s a list of the recalled products:

Costco Kirkland Signature Butter Class II Recall

Kirkland Signature Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter (46,800 pounds or 1,300 cases recalled): 1-pound packages of four 4-ounce sticks, UPC 96619-38496:

• Lot No. 2424091; "Best By" date of Feb. 22, 2025
• Lot No. 2424111; "Best By" date of Feb. 23, 2025
• Lot No. 2426891; "Best By" date of Mar. 22, 2025
• Lot No. 2426991; "Best By" date of Mar. 23, 2025

Kirkland Signature Salted Sweet Cream Butter (32,400 pounds or 900 cases recalled): 1-pound packages of four 4-ounce sticks, UPC 96619-38488:

• Lot #2424191 with "Best By" date of Feb. 23, 2025
• Lot #2427591 with "Best By" date of Mar. 29, 2025

There aren’t any instructions yet on what to do with the offending products if you have them, but it’s an easy assumption that you can return them to Costco if you have an allergy and are too clueless to know that butter contains what you’re allergic to. If you’re not allergic to milk, carry on. Nothing to see here.