Costco Wholesale Corp. has issued a recall for Dubai Style Chocolate sold at its warehouses after discovering an incorrect allergy label that could pose risks to customers with wheat allergies.
Rolling Pin Baking Company LLC, the manufacturer, issued the recall notice through Costco's customer notification system. Eddie Dayan, quality assurance director for Rolling Pin, stated in the recall notice that the company assesses "the health risk to be minimal as gluten is listed on the allergen statement and gluten is found in wheat."
The recall notice also pointed out that Kunefa, an ingredient known to contain wheat, was properly listed in the product's ingredient statement, providing some disclosure about wheat content.
Customers who purchased the chocolate and have wheat allergies in their household are advised to return the product to any Costco location for a full refund. Rolling Pin has established a customer service line at 833-331-2993, available between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST for consumers with questions or concerns about the recall.
The Dubai Style Chocolate had been marketed as a premium delicacy featuring Belgian chocolate combined with crispy kadayif and creamy pistachio. In May, Rolling Pin described it as "a chocolate experience like nothing you've had before" and promoted its availability at Costco locations in Los Angeles, San Diego, Northwest, and Southeast regions, the company said in a Facebook post.
Last month, Canadian health officials issued multiple recalls for various brands of Dubai pistachio and knafeh milk chocolate following a Salmonella outbreak connected to pistachios.
The recalled products in Canada included brands such as Chocofolie, Chocolato, Chocolats Favoris, Dubai, and Vincent Sélection chocolate bars, each weighing 145 grams. The sweets were distributed in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec, as well as through online sales.
The Public Health Agency of Canada confirmed 52 cases of Salmonella linked to the outbreak, with illnesses reported from early March to mid-July. Quebec recorded the highest number of cases at 39, followed by Ontario with nine, British Columbia with three, and Manitoba with one.
Canadian health officials said that Salmonella strains responsible for the illnesses were first detected in samples of recalled Habibi brand pistachios, though other sources of the outbreak could be found as the investigations continue.