Tim Hortons recalls thousands of mugs that may burn you if filled with hot liquid — a cafeteria cashier’s sudden fear
At a busy franchised location, a cashier lifts a glossy white mug with pink interior and watches a doughnut image shift color as warm water swirls inside. That small, familiar ritual — a novelty reveal meant to delight — is now the reason tim hortons is asking customers to stop using a recently sold mug and bring it back for a refund.
What did Tim Hortons recall and why?
The recall covers the Pink and White Colour Changing Donut Mug, a 16oz. white ceramic cup with a doughnut design on both sides, a pink interior and handle, and a chocolate chip doughnut decal that changes colour and reveals one of four designs when warm liquid is poured in. Health Canada warns “the mug may crack or break when in use or filled with hot liquid, posing a burn hazard to users. ” The mugs were sold in restaurants and online between January and February. Tim Hortons said it voluntarily removed the mugs from sale “out of an abundance of caution. ” A recall notice instructs owners to stop using the mug immediately and return it for a full refund.
Who is affected and what should customers do?
Anyone who purchased the recalled mug is asked to stop using it and return it to a Tim Hortons restaurant location by April 22, 2026, for a full refund. The recall notice adds, “Returns may be accepted thereafter for refund. ” Earlier guidance from the company advised guests who purchased the mug between Jan. 15 and Feb. 18 to stop using it and bring it back to any location. The Canada Consumer Product Safety Act prohibits recalled products from being redistributed, sold or given away, and Health Canada is urging people who experienced health or safety incidents related to the product to fill out the Consumer Product Incident Report Form.
How many mugs were sold, how many incidents occurred, and who made them?
Tim Hortons reported that 25, 040 units of the affected mug were sold in Canada between January 2026 and February 2026. As of March 10, the company has received 28 reports of incidents in Canada and one report of a burn injury, Health Canada. The mugs were manufactured in China by Anbo Home Goods (Shenzen) Co. Ltd. Initially, when Tim Hortons alerted guests to stop using mugs sold between Jan. 15 and Feb. 18, there had been no reports of injuries but some customers had said their mugs had “developed a crack. ” The recall notice reiterates the burn hazard and lays out the return process.
The recall inserts a practical strain into everyday routines: employees who hand out coffee, parents who bought a novelty mug for a child, and collectors who keep promo items on a shelf must decide whether to stop using an item that was marketed for hot beverages. For many, the mug’s colour-changing trick is part of the appeal — and part of the surprise now under scrutiny.
Health Canada’s formal warning and the company’s voluntary removal from sale are the primary responses documented in the recall materials. The recall notice and the company’s earlier advisory form the basis of instructions for consumers and venues that may still have unsold units.
Back at the counter where the scene began, the cashier sets the mug down and slides a laminated recall notice into the register drawer. The novelty image has faded into a cautionary label: a product designed to delight, withdrawn because it might harm the very hands that used it. The question now is how many of those 25, 040 mugs will make their way back before the deadline, and whether a small comfort will be replaced with a more careful habit around promotional drinkware.
