Tens of thousands of canisters of “Collagen Peptides” powder from the brand Vital Proteins, for which Jennifer Aniston is a spokesperson, have been recalled out of fear that shards of a broken plastic lid contaminated the product.
The 24-ounce supplement canisters were distributed to Costco stores in 20 states and Puerto Rico, according to a voluntary recall notice from Vital Proteins posted on the Food and Drug Administration website.
The stated reason: “potential foreign material contamination (pieces of one blue broken lid may be in one or more canisters).”
More than 59,700 canisters were affected, the recall notice said. They were sold at Costco stores between April 17 and 24, according to a letter that Costco sent customers on April 28. The letter urged customers who’d purchased the supplements not to consume them and to return the product to Costco for a full refund.
Costco could not immediately be reached for comment.
Vital Proteins said in a statement on Wednesday that it initiated the recall “out of an abundance of caution and our commitment to product quality and consumer safety.”
The company added that it “worked with Costco to both notify their members who may have purchased impacted product, and remove any potentially impacted product from stores.”
“To date, no injuries have been reported in relation to this recall,” the statement continued. “No other retailers or e-tailers are affected by this recall, and no other Vital Proteins products are affected.”
Collagen, the most abundant protein in the body, helps form connective tissue and is a key building block of skin, muscles, hair, tendons and more.
There is little scientific consensus as to whether oral collagen supplements confer any health or cosmetic benefits. However, Vital Proteins promotes its collagen products as boosting the health of hair, nail, skin, bones, joints, ligaments and muscles.
Aniston is listed on the company’s website as its Chief Creative Officer. She is quoted on the site saying that her “go-to collagen routine” is adding the powdered supplement into her morning cup of coffee or a smoothie.
