A Thermos counter in a shopping mall in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province on June 9, 2026 Photo: VCG

Due to the risk of the product's stopper forcefully ejecting when opened, vacuum insulation brand Thermos has recently recalled millions of food jars and other products across multiple countries. China has recalled nearly 4 million units.

The Global Times on Tuesday found that the recalled products were not listed on the flagship stores of major Chinese e-commerce platforms including Tmall and JD.com.

A customer service representative with Thermos' flagship store on Tmall said on Tuesday that Thermos is recalling some old food jars in the US. After an investigation in China, there have been zero customer complaints and zero injuries.

In the interest of prioritizing user safety, the company has proactively offered free replacement of the sealing plugs (without pressure relief valves) for the SK3000 and SK3020 models sold in China, the representative said. 

On May 29, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) issued an announcement stating that Thermos (China) Housewares Co has voluntarily reported a recall plan to SAMR. 

The recall, effective immediately, covers certain SK3000 and SK3020 high-vacuum stainless steel food jars produced between 2011 and 2023, involving a total of 3,994,195 units.

If consumers store perishable food or beverages in those food jars for an extended period, the sealing plug may pop out when opened, posing a risk of impact injury to users.

Thermos China said it will provide affected consumers with a free replacement sealing plug equipped with a pressure relief valve to eliminate the safety hazard. 

In addition to the Chinese market, Thermos has recalled related products in the US and Australia. 

On April 30, a notice issued by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission stated that Thermos was recalling 8.2 million stainless king food jars and bottles due to serious impact injury and laceration hazards.

The notice said the recall covers about 5.8 million stainless king food jars and about 2.3 million sportsman food & beverage bottles.

If perishable food or beverages are stored in the container for an extended period of time, the stopper can forcefully eject when opened, which can result in serious impact injury and laceration hazards to the consumer, the notice said. 

Thermos has received 27 reports of consumers who were struck by a stopper that forcefully ejected from the containers upon opening, including complaints of impact and laceration injuries requiring medical attention. Three consumers suffered permanent vision loss after being struck in the eye, according to the notice issued on the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

A recall notice posted on Thermos' website in Australia shows that Thermos Pty Ltd in cooperation with the Australian Consumer & Competition Commission, announced a voluntary product safety recall of certain stainless king food jars.

Products included in this recall were sold between July 2009 and December 2022 at retail outlets nationwide.

It said the stopper on affected products does not have a pressure release valve. Pressure may build up inside the container and may cause the stopper beneath the lid to eject forcefully when opened.

Global Times