Customers wait in line to buy supplies at a Costco store on March 6, 2020 (Robyn Beck / AFP)

Costco is not recalling bath tissue due to novel coronavirus contamination

This article is more than one year old.
Published on March 13, 2020 at 20:43
1 min read
By AFP Canada

A recall notice supposedly issued by retailer Costco for bath tissue contaminated by the novel coronavirus has been shared hundreds of times on Facebook in Canada. The notice is not authentic, according to a statement from the wholesaler, and the brand of bath tissue in question is not listed on official recall websites.

“There has been a recall on Kirkland Signature bath tissue at your local Costco warehouse between February 1, 2020 and March 9, 2020,” reads an official-looking notice being shared on Facebook as panic buying escalates due to fears of the new coronavirus.

It goes on to claim that the toilet paper has been contaminated with COVID-19 “due to the item being manufactred in China.”

Screenshot taken on March 13, 2020 of a Facebook post

The posts do not include a genuine recall notice.

“This statement made in the posting is not true,” Costco told AFP by email on March 13, 2020.

Official recall notices for products sold at the membership warehouse in Canada are available here.

The Canadian government also has a searchable database of recall and safety alerts here.

For the latest information on the novel coronavirus in Canada, visit this Health Canada website.

AFP Fact Check has investigated more than 100 false and misleading claims about the novel coronavirus.

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Costco is not recalling bath tissue due to novel coronavirus contamination

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