Chipotle may be safe for consumption these days, but now we have to watch out for Starbucks. Why? Because the coffee chain is recalling a whole lot of Sausage, Egg and Cheese breakfast sandwiches over fears of listeria contamination.
On paper, the recall sounds very scary: More than 250 stores throughout Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma sold the “potentially impacted sandwiches” (heh) between Thursday, March 3 and Friday, March 4.
But let’s consider the issue more closely. No one has reported getting sick because of the sandwiches. As the recall states, “The potential for contamination was noted after routine testing by the company revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes on a contact surface within the production facility.”
The other thing is that, in order to claim a refund for a contaminated sandwich, customers are “urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.” Which is a little ridiculous, right? Because who purchases a breakfast sandwich from Starbucks and then takes it home without eating it? If you still have a four-day-old breakfast sandwich in your fridge, you’re asking for pain. (Okay, not really. But you get the point.)
Sure, maybe there are four or five weirdos out there who really will return their unconsumed sandwiches. But the only real loss for Starbucks in this is the fact that they’ve had to pitch all their unsold “potentially impacted sandwiches.” And the potential stain on their reputation. Here’s hoping this doesn’t last as long as the Chipotle Saga of 2015 and 2016.
