A garlic-infused olive oil sold for a full year at one of Cincinnati's most beloved food markets is now the subject of a federal recall, after the company that makes it discovered the batch used an ingredient never approved for cooking. Kofinas Olive Oil, known for its stall at Findlay Market and its store in Montgomery, pulled bottles of its Garlic Mediterranean Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil from shelves and online orders after determining the product contained a garlic essential oil not certified for culinary use.
The recall traces back to LMSI LLC, doing business as Kofinas Olive Oil, which made the decision to pull the product on August 29 before the Food and Drug Administration published the official notice two days later. According to the FDA, the affected oil was sold over the course of an entire year, from August 31, 2025, through August 27, 2026, meaning bottles could still be sitting in Cincinnati-area pantries. The recall covers three bottle sizes — 100 ml, 250 ml, and 500 ml — all in glass, according to the FDA's filing.
Distribution was limited to two physical storefronts: the Kofinas stall inside Findlay Market at 1801 Race St. in Over-the-Rhine, and the Montgomery Store & Infusion Kitchen at 8210 Market Place Ln., plus direct online orders through kofinasoliveoil.com, per the FDA notice. As WKRC reported, the olive oil was produced in the Cincinnati area before making its way to store shelves.
What Went Wrong Inside the Bottle
Kofinas has long relied on a distinctive, slower infusion process. Per Findlay Market, the company's customary method involves placing ground dried herbs and spices into tea-like bags that steep inside oil tanks for about a month before being filtered out, a technique the founders traditionally favored over liquid chemical flavorings. The recalled batch broke from that pattern, using a garlic essential oil extract instead of the usual dry-herb steeping.
That distinction matters under federal food law. Garlic derivatives are recognized as Generally Recognized As Safe, or GRAS, flavorings, but essential oil extracts must meet strict food-grade chemical specifications and manufacturing purity guidelines before they can legally go into human food, according to Panaceayur. Garlic essential oils contain concentrated volatile sulfur compounds, including diallyl disulfide, that require careful processing controls, the outlet notes. Essential oils formulated for non-food applications simply lack the documentation and processing oversight the FDA requires — a regulatory and chemical-specification problem, not evidence of a confirmed toxin or poison outbreak, per the same report.
No Illnesses Reported, But Refunds Available
Food recall tracking database FreshRecall reported that the FDA designated the action a Class II voluntary recall involving chemical safety considerations — a category that applies to products that may cause temporary or medically reversible health consequences. No illnesses tied to the products have been reported, according to WKRC.
Good Housekeeping reported that despite the absence of confirmed illnesses, health experts advise anyone experiencing signs of an allergic reaction or foodborne illness after consuming the oil to seek immediate medical evaluation, since non-culinary essential oils can cause gastrointestinal upset or skin and mucosal irritation. WKRC reported that anyone with symptoms should contact a physician right away. Customers reporting a reaction will receive a full refund, and shoppers can reach Kofinas at 513-981-1412 or 513-325-5502 for refund information, per WKRC's report.
A Cincinnati Institution With Roots in Crete
Kofinas Olive Oil was founded in 2007 by Evie and John Semertzides, who began importing cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil to Cincinnati from multi-generational family groves in the village of Stavies on the island of Crete, according to the company. The olives are harvested from Koroneiki trees, and while the raw oil is cold-pressed overseas, all custom flavoring, infusion, and bottling take place at the family's processing facility in Montgomery, Ohio, with bulk oil shipped in barrels to Southwest Ohio before it's bottled, Findlay Market has reported.
The company has grown from a weekend outdoor farm stand into a permanent stall — Market House Stall 119 — inside Findlay Market, Ohio's oldest continuously operating public market, which has served Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood since 1855. The recall lands during a stretch of heightened FDA food safety enforcement nationally, with the agency also flagging recalls of mispackaged seasonal candies and contaminated frozen fruit products in recent weeks, according to Contagion Live.
