Cider and juice company Martinelli’s has issued a voluntary recall of their apple juice - sold in many major American retailers, including Target, Whole Foods, Kroger, Winn-Dixie, and Publix - due to potential levels of inorganic arsenic that exceed the standards of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The lot of juice in question that is being recalled consists of glass one-liter bottles with a “best by” date of either March 9, 2026, or March 20, 2026, and were sent to stores between March 13, 2023, and Sept. 27, 2023. It is currently unknown how many bottles the aforementioned lot consists of.
Tests performed upon Martinelli’s apple juice from the affected lot by the State of Maryland conformed that the beverage contained higher levels of inorganic arsenic that the FDA allows, to the point that the World Health Organization cautioned that consumption of the "confirmed carcinogen" could lead to acute arsenic poisoning. Potential symptoms include vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Currently, the FDA's industry action level for inorganic arsenic in apple juice is 10 parts per billion, the same standard that is set for drinking water.
Martinelli’s has confirmed that there are no known cases of poisoning or illness associated with the recalled product as of yet.