Death Wish Nitro Cold Brew Recalled
Death Wish Coffee Co. is halting production of Nitro Cold Brew until an additional step in the manufacturing process is implemented, and that Death Wish Nitro cans have been removed from the company's online store and pulled from shelves at Price Chopper/Market 32, Healthy Living Market & Café, and independent retailers at the company's request.
Death Wish Coffee Co. of Round Lake, N.Y., a company claiming to produce the "World's Strongest Coffee," has recalled its 11-ounce Death Wish Nitro Cold Brew cans, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the company have reported. FDA's Sept. 19 release said "Death Wish in conjunction with an outside Process Authority has determined that the current process could lead to the growth and production of the deadly toxin, botulin, in low acid foods commercialized in reduced oxygen packaging."
Botulism is a potentially fatal form of food poisoning.
The release quotes Mike Brown, identified as the company's founder/owner: "Our customers' safety is of paramount importance and Death Wish Coffee is taking this significant, proactive step to ensure that the highest quality, safest, and of course, strongest Coffee products we produce are of industry-exceeding standards – thus we are taking this measure of recalling all Death Wish Nitro cans from shelves. We have also gone a step further, to make sure that everyone who purchased the product on deathwishcoffee.com will receive a full refund within 60 days. We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause our customers and our retail partners, but we believe this is the right precautionary measure to take."
The release says Death Wish is halting production of Nitro Cold Brew until an additional step in the manufacturing process is implemented, and that Death Wish Nitro cans have been removed from the company's online store and pulled from shelves at Price Chopper/Market 32, Healthy Living Market & Café, and independent retailers at the company's request.
No illnesses have been reported to date, according to FDA.
A recall page on Death Wish's website says the recall was issued as a precautionary measure. It says:
"Although we're pretty disappointed, we'd like to thank Cornell for being so rigorous in their testing. We can only get better. In short, it looks like our process wasn't perfect and we're excited to revisit it with guidance from some of the most meticulous scientists in the world. If you have some of the Nitro at home, go ahead and get rid of it. There has been no degradation of quality at this point, but we want to err on the side of caution. No illnesses have been reported in connection with this issue. This recall is merely a precautionary step."
"If you bought Death Wish Nitro from a retailer, bring in proof of purchase for a refund," it says. "If you've ordered Death Wish Nitro online, we will fully refund your order within 60 days."
"Death Wish has undergone a rigorous, lengthy process with an independent, process authority to test the shelf life, stability and safety of the Nitro Cold Brew coffee. After almost four months of ongoing tests, the Nitro Cold Brew has shown no degradation of quality or shelf stability at all. However, in order to ensure industry-leading safety of Death Wish's cold brew products, a recommendation has been made to add a further step in the manufacturing process behind the Nitro Cold Brew. Nitrogen-infused coffee is a fairly new process, in which at the moment, there are few federal standards and regulations through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). With any nitrogen-based products on the market, there is a remote possibility of the risk of Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum), a serious pathogen that can lead to the growth and production of the deadly toxin, botulin, in low acid foods commercialized in reduced oxygen packaging."