Cartons of frozen burritos sold at Costco stores in three states contained a different product than the label described, and the burritos actually inside contained egg that was never declared on the packaging.
The Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a public health alert on July 29 for 3-pound 2-ounce cartons holding 10 individually wrapped burritos labeled "RED'S STEAK CILANTRO AND LIME BURRITO." The cartons were produced on June 19 and shipped to Costco distribution locations in Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota.
FSIS said it is concerned that "some product may be in consumers' freezers," which is the reason this alert still matters weeks after production. A frozen item does not clear out of a household the way fresh food does.
How to Identify the Product
The identifying marks are on the carton rather than the individual wrappers, so the outer box matters.
Affected cartons carry establishment number EST. 46069 inside the USDA mark of inspection and one of twelve production lot codes printed on the side of the pack: L1 SD6170 followed by 1503, 1535, 1606, 1639, 1717, 1750, 1831, 1908, 1954, 2031, 2108 or 2130.
Anyone who has already discarded the carton and kept loose wrapped burritos in a freezer bag has no way to verify the lot. In that situation, and for anyone in the household with an egg allergy, the cautious course is to discard them.
FSIS advises not consuming the product and either throwing it away or returning it to the place of purchase.
Checking the burrito itself will not help. The agency did not say what the substituted product was, only that it contains egg, so there is no reliable visual test a shopper can apply.
Why USDA Issued an Alert Instead of a Recall
This distinction confuses readers, and it is worth explaining because it changes nothing about the risk.
A recall is a request that a company retrieve product from commerce. A public health alert is a warning issued when there is no product left to retrieve. FSIS said a recall was not requested because the affected product is no longer available for purchase.
That is a statement about store shelves, not about kitchens. The alert exists precisely because the agency believes some cartons are already in freezers, where they can sit for months. Treating an alert as less serious than a recall would be the wrong conclusion to draw.
The error surfaced the way many labeling errors do. A consumer opened a carton, recognized that the burritos inside were not the product on the label, and reported it to the producing establishment, which notified FSIS. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions.
Who Faces Real Risk
The risk here is narrow and specific, and it is worth saying plainly that most households were never in danger. For anyone without an egg allergy, these burritos posed no hazard.
The people at risk are those with diagnosed egg allergy. Egg is among the most common food allergies in young children, and children are also the most likely to be handed a burrito by someone who did not read the box. A household that manages egg allergy carefully at the grocery store can still be caught out when a caregiver, grandparent, or older sibling heats up a freezer item.
People with a history of anaphylaxis to egg face the most serious consequences from an accidental exposure. So do households where the person doing the cooking is not the person who tracks the allergy.
Egg allergy also frequently coexists with other food allergies, and many children outgrow it, which means some families relax vigilance during a period when a reaction can still occur.
What to Watch For and When to Get Help
Reactions to a food allergen typically begin within minutes to two hours of eating. Milder signs include hives, itching, swelling around the lips or eyes, stomach pain, vomiting or diarrhea.
Emergency care is needed without delay for difficulty breathing, wheezing, throat tightness, swelling of the tongue or throat, repeated vomiting, dizziness, fainting or sudden loss of alertness. Anyone prescribed epinephrine for a known allergy should use it as directed and call 911, rather than waiting to see whether symptoms settle.
Someone who ate the burritos previously with no reaction does not need evaluation now. Delayed allergic reactions to a single exposure days earlier are not the concern.
Questions can go to the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or MPHotline@usda.gov. Problems with meat, poultry, or egg products can be reported through the FSIS Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System, available at any hour. Reporting matters here, because a consumer complaint is what triggered this alert in the first place.
What Happens Next
FSIS has not said whether other production dates or products from the same establishment were reviewed, how many cartons were affected, or how the wrong product came to be packed in labeled cartons. Whether the agency expands the alert is the open question, since a packaging mix-up at a single establishment can affect more than one run.
The bottom line: USDA issued a public health alert for Red's Steak Cilantro and Lime Burrito cartons sold at Costco in Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota because the cartons held a different, egg-containing product that the label did not declare. Households managing egg allergy, particularly those with young children, are the group affected. The reasonable action is to check freezers for the lot codes and discard or return the product. The central uncertainty is whether the mislabeling extended beyond this production date.
Frequently Asked Questions
What product is affected? 3-pound 2-ounce cartons of 10 individually wrapped "RED'S STEAK CILANTRO AND LIME BURRITO," produced June 19, 2026, bearing EST. 46069 and one of twelve L1 SD6170 lot codes.
Where was it sold? Costco distribution locations in Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota.
What is the problem? The cartons contained a different burrito product, which contains egg. Egg was not declared on the carton label.
Why is this an alert and not a recall? FSIS did not request a recall because the product is no longer for sale. The alert exists because cartons may still be in home freezers.
What should I do? Do not eat it. Throw it away or return it to Costco. If you no longer have the carton and cannot check the lot, discard it if anyone in your home has an egg allergy.
Has anyone been hurt? No confirmed adverse reactions have been reported.
What symptoms need emergency care? Difficulty breathing, wheezing, throat tightness, tongue or throat swelling, repeated vomiting, dizziness or fainting. Use prescribed epinephrine and call 911.
I ate one last week and felt fine. Should I see a doctor? No. A reaction would have occurred within about two hours.
