Vita Health Products, the producer of Costco’s Kirkland-branded supplements, has issued a recall of the Kirkland Signature Women 50+ multivitamins due to the presence of foreign material.
In a notice to Costco members, the manufacturer said the recall was due to “the potential presence of loose metal pieces in the pill bottle.”
Kirkland Signature is the private-label brand owned by Costco.
The vitamins were made by Vita Health Products Inc., based in Winnipeg, Canada.
The affected product contains code “5J46568W7” and expiration date “FE/2028” printed on the neck of the bottles.
The bottles were sold at Costco warehouses in Canada or on Costco.ca from February 2026 through May 2026.
Health Canada is advising consumers to consult with their health-care provider before discontinuing personal use of the affected product or for any health concerns and to report any potential side effects to Health Canada.
The recall has been categorised as Type 2, which, according to Health Canada, applies to a situation in which “the use of, or exposure to, a product may cause temporary adverse health.”
Foreign material contamination of food and supplements is a persistent problem within the industry.
This is not the first time metal fragments have prompted a supplement recall — in Australia, BioCeuticals recalled one batch of its Ultra Potent-C Chewable in 2023 after a consumer reported finding a metal fragment in a tablet.
In 2024, the UK retailer Waitrose issued a recall for its ZOE Daily 30+ 7 Day supplement after discovering it may contain small stones and metal fragments.
Metal fragments in supplements typically arise from processing equipment, as manufacturing often involves heavy mechanical processing. Metals also comprise the majority of food manufacturing equipment, manufacturing utensils, tools and plant structures.
This provides multiple opportunities for metal contaminants to enter the final product. Contamination can arise from worn machinery parts (such as bearings or cutting blades) or damaged sieves that shed shards during the mixing, grinding and packaging phases.
Defective packaging materials and contaminated raw materials can also introduce foreign metal objects.
Reputable manufacturers implement safety measures such as magnetic separators, in-line metal detectors and regular equipment maintenance to prevent these shards from reaching consumers.
