Pepper Grinder Spits out Metal Shards, Concerning US Government Recall Says

If you recently bought a pepper grinder at Wegmans, you might want to hold off before using it. Earlier this month, a Cole & Mason pepper grinder sold at the supermarket chain was recalled. There have been multiple reports of consumers finding metal shards in their food after using them.

The recall covers Cole & Mason 505WEG Pepper Mills with the item number H50501PWE, according to the May 18 notice published on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website. The item number is printed on the pepper mills. These kitchen tools include a metal grinding mechanism that lets off metal shards during the first 10 grinds. This poses a dangerous hazard and could lead to cuts in a consumer’s mouth. Wegmans received three incidents from consumers of metal shards ending up in their food. No injuries were reported though.

These were only sold at Wegmans Food Markets between January 2021 and January 2023 for about $14. Consumers should stop using them immediately and return them to stores for a full refund. Wegmans is also contacting known consumers who bought the product. These were made in China and imported by DKB Household USA Corp. of Apex, North Carolina.

Consumers can contact Wegmans at 855-934-3663 or by email at Wegmans.com/service/contact-us and Wegmans.com/news-media/product-recalls/cole-mason-pepper-mills. Wegmans is a chain of supermarkets in the Northeast, with most locations in New York. There are also locations in Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Since Wegmans recalled the pepper mills, there have been a few other recalls, all food related. On May 26, the company recalled Wegmans FYFGA Penne Rigate Mozzarella Pasta Salad because of a labeling error. While the lid of these packages state “Wegmans FYFGA Penne Rigate Mozzarella Pasta Salad,” the side labels were for “Wegmans FYFGA Macaroni Salad,” which do not declare milk as an allergen. Tastykake Chocolate Kandy Kakes were recalled on May 24 because the packages did not list the allergen peanuts as an ingredient.

There have also been other recalls involving kitchen appliances in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Berkshire Innovations recalled Sahara Folding Food Dehydrators sold in the U.S. and Canada. These products had heater fans that could fail, causing them to overheat. That could lead to a fire hazard. Consumers were asked to remove the polyester air filter and contact Berkshire Innovations for a free repair kit. The recalled products were sold between July 2022 and March 2023.