Costco Recalls Two Caesar Salad Items Over Plastic in Dressing, Wisconsin Shoppers Urged to Check Products

When shoppers in Wisconsin pulled a Caesar salad off the shelf last week, they had no idea they might be holding a tiny piece of plastic in the dressing. On November 17, 2025, Costco Wholesale Corporation quietly initiated a recall of two specific Caesar salad products after internal quality checks detected possible plastic foreign material in the dressing — a discovery that sent ripples through grocery aisles, especially in Wisconsin, where seven warehouse locations serve over 1.2 million members. The news broke first in Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, then was amplified the next day by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which explicitly warned Wisconsin shoppers: "Check if yours is affected." It wasn’t a broad alert. It was targeted. And that matters.

What Was Recalled — And What Wasn’t

Only two salad items are involved. Neither publication named them outright, but both confirmed the contamination is isolated to the dressing, not the lettuce, croutons, or Parmesan. That’s critical. The plastic isn’t in the bulk ingredients — it’s in the sauce, likely introduced during packaging or mixing. The phrasing "possible presence" suggests no injuries have been reported, but that doesn’t mean the risk is low. A single shard of food-grade plastic, less than 3 millimeters long, can still cause choking or internal injury if swallowed. Costco didn’t release batch codes, expiration dates, or production facility details — leaving consumers to guess. The Journal Sentinel noted that the recall was triggered by routine internal testing, not customer complaints. That’s both reassuring and alarming: the system worked… but only because someone caught it before it reached the public.

Why Wisconsin? The State-Specific Impact

Why did the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel dedicate a full local report to this? Because Costco’s footprint in Wisconsin is massive. The company operates seven warehouses: Store #279 in Greenfield, #705 in Madison, #712 in Brookfield, #715 in Appleton, #721 in Eau Claire, #722 in La Crosse, and #725 in Wauwatosa. Each handles thousands of salad units weekly. Given that Wisconsin has one of the highest per-capita rates of Costco membership in the U.S., the potential exposure is concentrated. And unlike national recalls that flood social media, this one was quietly localized — a deliberate move by Costco to avoid panic while ensuring at-risk consumers are reached. Still, the lack of public batch codes or QR codes on packaging leaves shoppers in the dark. Are you affected? You have to remember what you bought, when, and where. That’s not enough.

How This Compares to Past Costco Recalls

This isn’t Costco’s first food safety hiccup. Between 2020 and 2024, the company issued 12 voluntary recalls, including a major one in May 2023 when 152,000 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken salad were pulled over potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination. That recall affected 18 states and led to one hospitalization. The current plastic incident is smaller in scale but different in nature — it’s a physical contaminant, not a biological one. That changes the risk profile. Listeria spreads. Plastic doesn’t. But plastic doesn’t degrade, either. And unlike bacteria, you can’t cook it away. Once it’s in your salad, it’s in your system. Food safety experts say physical contaminants like plastic are among the most feared because they’re unpredictable. One study from the FDA found that 17% of all foodborne illness reports in 2022 involving foreign objects were linked to plastic — mostly from packaging or machinery.

What Consumers Should Do Now

Here’s the bottom line: If you bought a Costco Caesar salad between October 1 and November 15, 2025 — especially in Wisconsin — check the packaging. Look for any unusual texture in the dressing. A gritty feel? A faint sheen? Don’t risk it. Toss it. Even if you don’t see plastic, the warning is clear: possible presence means assume it’s there. Costco has not yet published a recall notice on its website, nor has the FDA issued a public alert. That’s unusual. Most recalls are posted within 24 hours. The silence suggests Costco is still verifying the scope. But don’t wait. Call Costco’s customer service at 1-800-774-2677. Ask for the recall number. Ask for batch codes. Ask for return instructions. And if you’ve already eaten the salad? Monitor for nausea, abdominal pain, or difficulty swallowing. If symptoms appear, seek medical attention immediately.

What’s Next? The Unanswered Questions

Three big questions remain unanswered. First: Where did the plastic come from? Was it from a broken mixer blade? A torn packaging seal? A stray fragment from a conveyor belt? Second: Why hasn’t Costco issued a public recall notice? Third: Will the FDA step in? The agency typically intervenes when multiple states are affected or when there’s a pattern of failures. So far, there’s no indication of that. But if more reports surface — especially from states beyond Wisconsin — the pressure will mount. Costco’s reputation for value and reliability hangs in the balance. A single plastic shard might seem minor. But in food safety, trust is measured in milligrams — and it takes years to rebuild.

Why This Matters Beyond the Salad Bowl

This isn’t just about a salad. It’s about what we expect from big-box retailers. We assume Costco’s scale means better quality control. We assume their bulk model reduces waste and risk. But scale can also mean complexity — more suppliers, more packaging lines, more points of failure. When a company sells 2 million salads a week, one mistake can reach tens of thousands. And when the only warning comes from a local newspaper? That’s a system failure. Consumers shouldn’t have to scour news sites to know if their food is safe. Costco needs to do better. And regulators need to demand it.