The China Syndrome: US Importer Recalls Mr. Brown Coffee

Sunny Maid Corp. (Monterey Park, CA) has initiated a recall of Mr. Brown powdered coffee mixes. The recalled products are made in China and may contain melamine.

The following three Mr. Brown products were imported into the United States by Sunny Maid. The coffees are sold in plastic bags, 30 packets per bag. Mr. Brown coffees sold in cans are not part of the recall. All date codes of the following products are included in the recall notice.

• Mr. Brown 3-in-1 POWDERED PACKETS IN BAG COFFEE MIX – Mandheling
  
• Mr. Brown 3-in-1 POWDERED PACKETS IN BAG COFFEE MIX – Arabica
  
• Mr. Brown 2-in-1 POWDERED PACKETS IN BAG COFFEE MIX – Mandheling
  

The coffee mixes were shipped to wholesale distributors and retail stores in the following states:

California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

The recalled products may also have been sold in states not specifically mentioned in the recall notice. Consumers who have purchased any of the three Mr. Brown coffee products mentioned above should discard those products, even if they were purchased in a state that is not on the formal recall list.

We can expect the California Department of Public Health to provide residents of the state with a list of retail stores that sold the recalled items within the next few days. Unfortunately, no other state offers this public health service to its residents.