If you’ve recently picked up a gluten-free pizza kit from Costco Canada, now is the time to check your fridge. The Costco Canada pizza kit recall has caught shoppers off guard across the country, with a popular product pulled from shelves due to the risk of mould, and in some cases, customers discovered the problem well before the best-before date had passed.
Here’s a full breakdown of what happened, which product is affected, and what you should do next.
What Triggered the Costco Canada Pizza Kit Recall?
Molinaro’s Issues the Warning
Ontario-based manufacturer Molinaro’s Fine Italian Foods Ltd. initiated the recall after identifying a risk of mould growth in the Gino Bambino Gluten Free Pizza Kit — even before the product reached its best-before date.
Molinaro’s issued a formal notice stating that customers should not consume, serve, use, sell, or distribute the affected kits. The company posted the recall notice directly through Costco Canada’s customer service platform, and Costco moved quickly to alert shoppers.
The recall covers kits sold at:
- Costco warehouse locations across Canada
- Costco Business Centres
- ca (online store)
Sales of the affected product ran between December 2025 and April 2026, meaning a significant number of units may still sit in customers’ kitchens.
Figure 1: Costco Canada has recalled a gluten-free pizza kit due to potential mould contamination, surprising many customers, especially since some found issues before the expiry date. Shoppers are advised to check their fridges and take appropriate action if they have the affected product.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency Steps In
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) also issued a nationwide recall for the product on 16 April 2026, assigning it the recall identification number RA-81921.
The CFIA classified the recall as Class Three, which means it carries a low risk of causing undesirable health problems. The agency’s Class Three category also covers products that don’t comply with food safety legislation, even when the direct health threat is minimal.
Which Product Exactly Is Affected?
The Gino Bambino Gluten Free Pizza Kit
This is the key product at the centre of the Costco Canada pizza kit recall:
- Product name: Gino Bambino Gluten Free Pizza Starter Kit
- Size: 700 g
- Costco Item Number: 1974721
- UPC: 0 59949 05230 4
Lot Codes and Best-Before Dates to Check
Molinaro’s identified two specific best-before dates linked to the recall:
- 2026 AL 22 (22 April 2026)
- 2026 AL 28 (28 April 2026)
If your kit shows either of these codes on the packaging, do not eat it. Return it to your nearest Costco warehouse for a full refund, no questions asked.
Customers Had Already Been Raising Red Flags
What makes this recall particularly striking is that shoppers had already flagged the mould issue in customer reviews before the official recall landed.
One shopper noted they had returned the product at least three times because of mould growing between the two crusts, despite keeping it stored properly and well within the best-before date. Another customer said their first purchase was completely fine, but a second box showed visible mould growth long before the expiry.
These reviews paint a picture of a recurring packaging or preservation problem, not a one-off incident. The mould appeared to grow in the space between the crusts, suggesting the current packaging may not be adequate to keep the product shelf-stable throughout its intended life.
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What Should You Do If You Have the Affected Kit?
Steps to Take Right Now
If you’ve purchased a Gino Bambino Gluten Free Pizza Kit from Costco Canada, here’s what to do:
- Check the best-before date on your packaging for the codes 2026 AL 22 or 2026 AL 28.
- Do not eat the product, even if it looks fine visually.
- Return it to any Costco warehouse location for a full refund.
- Contact Molinaro’s directly if you have questions or concerns.
How to Reach Molinaro’s
You can get in touch with Molinaro’s Fine Italian Foods through the following:
- Phone: 1-800-268-4959 (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. EST)
- Email: customerservice@molinaros.com
Molinaro’s has also apologised for the inconvenience and encouraged customers to pass the recall notice along to anyone they may have shared the product with.
This Recall Isn’t an Isolated Event
The Costco Canada pizza kit recall is part of a broader wave of food safety alerts that the CFIA has issued in recent months. Just in the weeks surrounding this recall:
- On 13 April 2026, the CFIA recalled a brand of beef and pork jerky over mould contamination.
- On 1 April 2026, Costco Canada recalled seafood sold at several locations due to a listeria risk.
- Egg products in Ontario and Quebec were also recently recalled over salmonella concerns.
This pattern highlights just how active the CFIA has been in monitoring food safety across the country, and it underscores why consumers need to stay across official recall notices.
Food safety agencies strongly encourage Canadians to subscribe to recall alerts through the official Government of Canada recalls portal at recalls-rappels.canada.ca, so they receive notifications directly rather than hearing about them after the fact.
Also Read:Giant Mining’s Redhill Copper Project in British Columbia
Why Gluten-Free Products Need Extra Attention
Packaging Challenges in Specialty Foods
Gluten-free pizza crusts often have different moisture content and ingredient profiles compared to traditional wheat-based products. This can make them more susceptible to mould growth, especially if the packaging doesn’t create a sufficiently airtight or low-humidity environment inside the box.
The Gino Bambino kit stores two crusts together, and multiple shoppers specifically mentioned mould growing between those crusts — an area where trapped moisture could accelerate fungal growth if the seal isn’t perfect.
This doesn’t mean gluten-free products are inherently unsafe. It does mean that manufacturers need to account for these differences when designing packaging and setting best-before timelines.
Canada’s broader food safety framework, overseen by the CFIA, plays a critical role in catching these issues and compelling recalls when products fall short of safety or legislative standards, as it did with the Costco Canada pizza kit recall.
Staying informed is the best defence. Whether it’s a modern mining project reshaping Canadian industry or a grocery recall affecting your family’s dinner plans, knowing the facts quickly is what matters.
Sources
- https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/article/pizza-kits-sold-at-costco-recalled-over-mould/
- https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/costco-canada-recall-mould-april-22-202
- https://customerservice.costco.ca/app/answers/answer_view/a_id/1019481/
- https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/gino-bambino-brand-gluten-free-pizza-starter-kit-recalled-due-mould
- https://www.insauga.com/recall-pizza-product-sold-at-costco-recalled-in-canada/
- https://604now.com/costco-canada-recall-pizza-kit-mould-april-2026/
