Martinelli’s recalled one lot of its pricey apple juice being sold at major retailers across the US including Target, Whole Foods and Publix over levels of inorganic arsenic exceeding the US Food and Drug Administration’s standards.
The voluntary recall affects a lot of one-liter bottles with a “best by” date of either March 9, 2026, or March 20, 2026, USA Today earlier reported.
The size of the lot — a retailing term that typically refers to the quantity of a product ordered for a specific date or manufactured during a single production run — couldn’t immediately be learned.
The glass bottles, which are also being sold at Kroger and Winn-Dixie for a steep roughly $18 each, were sent to stores between March 13, 2023, and Sept. 27, 2023.
The State of Maryland has since tested a sample of juice from the lot, finding that they contain above the guidance level for inorganic arsenic, which the World Health Organization warned can lead to acute arsenic poisioning, which comes with concerning “immediate symptoms” like “vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea.”
“These are followed by numbness and tingling of the extremities, muscle cramping and death, in extreme cases,” the WHO added of exposure to inorganic arsenic, which it said “is a confirmed carcinogen.”
In a letter sent to grocery stores obtained, Watsonville, Calif.-based Martinelli’s said that no illnesses have reported as a result of the recall thus far.
“Please immediately discontinue distributing and selling the identified lot of the one-liter bottles of Martinelli’s Apple Juice by examining your inventory,” the company added in the warning note.
The apple juice recall comes after the FDA lowered the industry action level for inorganic arsenic in apple juice from 23 parts per billion to 10 ppb, in line with the requirements for water, according to USA Today.
The Maryland Department of Health’s report on its test results for Martinelli’s March 2023 production lot, for reference, found 11.6 ppb for inorganic arsenic — 1.6 ppb higher than the industry action level set forth in the new FDA guidance established, USA Today reported.
Representatives for Martinelli’s did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Fellow popular beverage company PepsiCo also issued a recall of its Schweppes Zero Sugar Ginger Ale last week after the brand found it was full of sugar.
Just days later, the soda giant also yanked another soda off store shelves for another instance of incorrect labeling.
The brand recalled more than 2,000 cases of Mug Root Beer on Friday after it was reported the cans actually contained Mug Zero Sugar root beer.
The recall began on March 22 but the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced the investigation last week.
According to the notice, the recall impacts 2,801 12-pack cases of soda distributed in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Items impacted in the recall have the code JUL2224XXXXAS02234 and a best by date of July 22, 2024, on the case packaging.
PepsiCo has since confirmed to The Post that there is no impacted product on shelves for sale.
