Lemonade Recall: Over 13,000 Cases of Minute Maid Zero Pulled for Having Sugar

When you’re looking for a beverage that’s the perfect mix of tart and sweet, there’s no better sip than lemonade. It's crisp and refreshing, but unfortunately, it can also have a high sugar content, which leaves many looking for low- or no-sugar alternatives. It seems those who monitor their sugar intake must be extra careful to pay attention to labels these days because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared a lemonade recall due to mislabeled products. Keep reading to learn more— plus how to test sugar levels at home.

Details of the Coca-Cola lemonade recall: what you need to know

Starting September 10, Coca-Cola, one of the largest beverage manufacturers in the world, recalled 13,152 cases of Minute Maid Zero Sugar lemonade in three different states after they were found to be packaged as regular lemonade.

According to Spartan Nash, a food solutions company, the 12-ounce cans were sold in fridge packs. The cans themselves were not mislabeled, just the outer packaging. They were distributed to Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio and are labeled with a UPC code of 0 25000 12115 9 and one of two other codes: FEB1725CNA and FEB1725CNB.

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“In September, Coca-Cola Consolidated voluntarily recalled a limited quantity of Minute Maid Lemonade 12-ounce cans in parts of Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. No impacted product remains in the market, and all recall activities in those markets are complete,” said a spokesperson in a statement.

The Minute Maid cans were voluntarily recalled and given a class II risk definition from the FDA.

What is an FDA class II risk?

The FDA has three different classes of risks regarding recalls. The Minute Maid lemonade cans were identified as class II, which “is a situation in which use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.”

This identification falls between the most and least severe risk categories: Class I is the highest, and Class III is the lowest.

Minute Maid hasn’t had a product recall since November 2021 when a small amount of Berry Punch, Strawberry Lemonade and Fruit Punch drinks were recalled due to the presence of foreign matter. This was also identified as Class II.

Double-check labels if monitoring your sugar intake

If you’re watching your sugar intake due to weight loss or other medical concerns such as diabetes, then it’s important to double-check the Minute Maid cans since the extra sugar may be harmful. Neither Coca-Cola nor the FDA have reported any illnesses or injuries related to the recall.

It’s also unknown if the mislabeled cans have been removed from stores, so they may still be available for purchase. Check the labels of any recent Minute Maid items, and if you bought one of the recalled packages, throw it away or return it for a full refund.

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How to check sugar levels at home

Even if a can is labeled as zero sugar, added sugars may still have entered the beverage. This can impact people with diabetes and other health concerns, but luckily, there’s an easy way to test sugar levels at home. Here are six steps to find the amount of sugar in any beverage:

1. Pick up urine sugar tests from the pharmacy

Urine sugar tests are available from your doctor or pharmacy without a prescription, or you can find them online. Open the package, read the instructions and substitute the canned beverage whenever urine is mentioned.

2. Put a small amount of the drink into a dish

Pour enough soda, lemonade or juice so that the entire colored part of the test strip is submerged. Don’t put the test strip directly in the drink if you plan on drinking from it afterward.

3. Dip the test strip

Place one test strip into the liquid until the colored part is completely covered. Keep the strip submerged for as long as the instructions say.

4. Remove the test strip from the liquid

Pull out the test strip and lay it on a solid background. White is preferred to help discern what color the strip has changed to after the test.

5. Wait for the strip to change color

Leave the strip alone for one to two minutes or follow the instructions on the package. The back of the test strip bottle or a chart accompanying the test strips will correlate the strip color to the sugar result.

6. Compare the results

Look at the amount of sugar on the strip compared to the amount listed on the can. You can test several beverages to find which has the lowest amount of glucose or other sugars.

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