Coca-Cola Recall Categorized Under Class II: FDA

The recall was initiated due to the risk of metal fragment contamination.

Bottles and cans of soda seen in New York in a file image. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A Cola-Cola recall made on Oct. 3 has now been categorized under Class II, suggesting potential for negative health effects, according to an Oct. 20 enforcement report from the Food and Drug Administration.

The recall is applicable to thousands of beverage cans due to the potential presence of metal contaminants.

The company’s Dallas-based bottler was behind the recall of 1,115 units of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, 2,322 units of Coca-Cola, and 791 units of Sprite, all sold in 12-, 24-, and 35-can packs. Code numbers of the affected products are:

• Coca-Cola Zero Sugar 12oz Can-12 pack, with code 49000042559 / FEB0226MAA
• Coca-Cola Zero Sugar 12oz Can-35 pack, 49000058499 / FEB0226MAA
• Coca-Cola 12oz Can-24 pack, 49000012781 / JUN2926MAA
• Coca-Cola 12oz Can-35 pack, 49000058468 / JUN2926MAA
• Sprite 12oz Can-35 pack, 49000058482 / JUN2926MAA
• Sprite 12oz Can-12 pack, 49000028928 / JUN2926MAA
• Sprite 12oz Can-12 pack, 49000028928 / JUN3026MAB

Class II is one of the three recall classifications issued by the FDA. Product recalls are designated Class II when there is 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,” the agency said.

“While the event remains on the FDA site, we can confirm all recalled product has been removed from the market,” a Coca-Cola spokesperson said in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times.

“This action was taken out of an abundance of caution due to the potential presence of foreign material. The recall was limited to McAllen/Rio Grande Valley market. It was confined to Texas.”

Multiple products have been recalled over the past few months due to contamination with foreign matter.

In July, Massachusetts-based Kayem Foods Inc. withdrew about 24,173 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken sausage products due to concerns about plastic pieces in the products.

The company received three consumer complaints about plastic found in the sausages. No injuries were reported at the time.

Earlier in March, Idaho Smokehouse Partners LLC announced a recall of roughly 29,541 pounds of ready-to-eat beef products due to contamination from metal pieces. The company received two customer complaints on the matter.

According to the FDA, a potential source of metal contamination in food products is equipment used during the manufacturing process.

Metal pieces from the equipment, such as injection needles and moving wire-mesh belts, can come loose and mix with the food items.

Once the pieces get into a food product, they have to be removed with magnets, screens, or flotation tanks. However, these measures “are more likely to be effective in liquids, powders, and similar products in which the metal fragment will not become embedded,” the agency said.

According to a September 2023 study published in the “National Library of Medicine” journal, foreign metal contamination was responsible for roughly 1 in 10 food recalls made by authorities over the past 20 years, with plastic fragments most commonly cited in complaints.

When ingested, plastic and metal pieces can cause cuts and infections inside an individual’s body, with surgery potentially required to remove the fragments, according to the study.

“Metals comprise the majority of food manufacturing equipment, manufacturing utensils, tools, and plant structures,” the study said.

“Metallic foreign bodies can contaminate foods entering the food processing stream along with the raw ingredients, employees’ negligence, or disrepair of harvesting machines and equipment.”

The Coca-Cola recall comes as the company announced on Oct. 8 that its beverages will be available in 7.5 oz. mini cans at convenience stores for the first time beginning Jan. 1, 2026. The mini can options will be available for Coca‑Cola Original, Zero Sugar, Fanta Orange, Sprite, and Cherry beverages.

The mini can is the fourth package size offered by Coca-Cola. The company offers beverages in 16 oz. cans, as well as 20 and 24 oz. bottles.

This week, Coca-Cola reported its 2025 third-quarter earnings, registering a year-over-year increase in net revenues and gross profit.

This article has been updated with a response from Coca-Cola.