The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a large-scale recall of a canned fruit product sold by Walmart. The product is being recalled due to fears it may be contaminated with elevated levels of lead. Here’s what you need to know.
What’s happened?
Last week, the FDA published an enforcement report detailing a recall that was initiated at the beginning of the month.
The recall was voluntarily initiated by Pacific Coast Producers of Lodi, California, a food manufacturer that provides canned fruit and tomatoes to retailers.
Though the FDA’s enforcement report says the voluntary recall was initiated on October 1, it does not appear that news of the recall was communicated to the public before the agency’s enforcement report was published nearly three weeks later.
Fast Company has reached out to Walmart and Pacific Coast Producers for comment.
The recall involves a single canned fruit cocktail product sold under Walmart’s Great Value brand. According to the FDA’s enforcement report, the recall was due to “Potential contamination with elevated levels of lead.”
The FDA has designated the recall as a Class II, which means use of or exposure to the product “may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.”
What product is being recalled?
Only one item is included in the voluntary recall. That item was distributed to Walmart stores in the following states:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Louisiana
- New Mexico
- Pennsylvania
- Washington
- Wyoming
The recalled product is:
- Name: Great Value Fruit Cocktail in Fruit Juice from Concentrate NET WT 15 OZ (425g)
- UPC: 078742369570
- Lot: 6FCB 04 C2263
- BEST IF USED BY: SEP 01 2027
The FDA’s enforcement report says the recall covers 1,836 cases of the product, with 24 units per case. That equates to a total of 44,064 cans of the product being recalled.
Symptoms of lead exposure
Lead exposure can cause serious adverse health effects in both adults and children, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC says exposure to high levels of lead over a short period of time may produce the following symptoms:
- Metallic taste
- Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Dehydration, headache, exhaustion, irritability, weakness
- Appetite loss
- Memory loss
- Pain or tingling in your hands or feet
In children, the CDC says the adverse health effects can include:
- Damage to the brain and nervous system
- Slowed growth and development
- Learning and behavior problems
- Hearing and speech problems
What to do if you have the recalled product
The FDA’s enforcement report does not detail what to do if you have the recalled Great Value Fruit Cocktail.
Generally, when a food item is recalled, the advice is not to consume it. Instead, dispose of it or return it to the place of purchase.
