Made Group brand, Cocobella, has undertaken a recall of its entire range of coconut yoghurt products, after milk was found in several small batches. One of the most popular dairy-free yoghurts in Australia, Cocobella produces a range of formats and flavours, as well as several SKUs of coconut water.
On 21 August, the company initiated a recall of certain batches of 110g Cocobella Coconut Yoghurt pouches, after the presence of an undeclared allergen (milk) was identified in some product lines.
Further testing of all product lines identified the allergen in a small number of other coconut yoghurt batches, leading to the decision on 22 August to recall all Cocobella Coconut Yoghurt products with use-by dates up to and including 6 October 2025, across Australia.
The products had been available for sale in Woolworths, Coles and independent retailers including IGA nationally and online. The recall notice was distributed through its social channels, as well as through Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) alerts.
In a statement on the company’s social media, Cocobella said the company alerted food safety authorities and implemented a second, wider recall beyond the affected product lines as soon as the presence of milk was detected in several batches.
“To all of our cocobella community: We unreservedly apologise for the health impacts, concern and inconvenience this has caused our customers. Rest assured we take this very seriously and are working hard to investigate to understand how this issue occurred so we can ensure it cannot happen again,” stated the company.
“While the overwhelming majority of product lines have tested negative to the allergen, the wider recall will ensure public safety while Cocobella continues its thorough investigation into the cause of the issue.”
Several consumers inquired via social media comments as to how the contamination could have happened, with Cocobella responding: “Our coconut yoghurt is produced in a facility that also manufactures dairy products. We are currently conducting a thorough investigation to determine the root cause of this issue”.
Cocobella is one of Made Group’s largest brands, and a leader in the coconut water and plant-based yoghurt categories in Australia, with significant growth underway across Asia.
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has also directed Made Brands to recall the implicated products.
The Coca-Cola Company and Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) acquired 45 per cent of Made Group in 2018, which was then sold on to US-based private equity firm, TPG Capital, in 2021. The deal at the time valued Made Group at between $300-$350 million. In June, The Australian reported that TPG Capital was exploring the sale of Made Group for a reported $700+ million, although no information has been released by Made or TPG.
