Starbucks Coffee Grinder Recall: Blade Grinders Pose Risk of Lacerations

Coffee giant Starbucks has issued a recall for more than half a million coffee grinders sold under their Starbucks Barista and Seattle’s Best Coffee brands, as reports have been received of the grinders failing to turn off or turning on unexpectedly, posing a potential laceration hazard for consumers.

The Starbucks coffee grinder recall was announced on Tuesday by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), indicating that at least 176 reports of problems with the grinders have been received, including at least three people who suffered injuries to their hands when the grinder turned on unexpectedly during cleaning.

About 530,000 grinders sold between March 2002 and March 2009 for about $30 are included in the recall. The grinders were made by Tsann Zuen (Zangzhou) Enterprise Co. Ltd., of China, and imported into the United States by Starbucks Coffee Co., of Seattle, Washington.

Starbucks Barista Blade Grinder was sold in stainless steel, green, pink, orange, teal, cranberry, olive and black, and had SKU numbers 171884, 195234, 195235, 220623, 220624, 242275, 344476, and 454482. Seattle’s Best Coffee Blade Grinder was sold in brown metallic and has SKU number 474881.

The CPSC and Starbucks recommend consumers stop using the recalled coffee grinders immediately and contact Starbucks to receive a free replacement grinder. However, product liability lawyers recommend that if any cuts or damage were caused by Starbucks coffee grinders turning on unexpectedly, the product should be preserved in a manner designed to avoid future use until appropriate testing can be completed.