Martinelli’s recalls nearly 25,000 cases of apple juice due to ‘elevated’ arsenic levels

S. Martinelli & Company has issued a voluntary recall of its popular brand of apple juice over concerns that the product contains “elevated levels of inorganic arsenic.” Predicted levels are higher than the limit set by the FDA.

According to information posted by the Food and Drug Administration, 24,519 cases — or 147,114 units — of Martinelli’s Gold Medal Apple Juice one-liter bottles were recalled. The company initiated the voluntary recall on April 16 after a sampling by the State of Maryland found one production lot that tested above the FDA's June 2023 guidelines for inorganic arsenic levels in apple juice.

The FDA monitors and regulates levels of arsenic in foods — including dietary supplements and cosmetics — as exposure at certain levels can be harmful to health.

A recall notice sent to distributors by the beverage company noted that the FDA issued guidance lowering the industry action level for inorganic arsenic in apple juice from 23 parts per billion to 10 parts per billion, which falls in line with its requirements for water.

In the notice, Martinelli’s wrote that the Maryland Department of Health reported test results for the March 2023 production lot in question showed 11.6 parts per billion, 1.6 parts higher than the cutoff.

The product was distributed to the following 34 states: Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. Product was also distributed to Puerto Rico and Panama.

One-liter glass bottles are sold at Kroger, Publix, Target, Ralphs, Vons, Albertsons, Whole Foods and others, according to the store locator on Martinelli’s website. Though it is unclear which stores, if any, received affected product.

Representatives for the Maryland Department of Health and for the FDA did not immediately respond to TODAY.com’s request for comment.

Although Martinelli’s did not immediately respond to TODAY.com’s request for comment on whether product made it to store shelves, a spokesperson for the company says it has not had any reported health issues related to the recall.

“At S. Martinelli & Company, we hold ourselves to the highest standards of excellence, and the health and safety of our customers remains our greatest priority,” a Martinelli’s spokesperson tells TODAY.com. “In full cooperation with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), we issued a voluntary recall; we will continue to cooperate with the FDA on any further direction, beyond what was already sent out to our retail customers.”

Affected items have a best by date of March 9, 2026, or March 10, 2026, which can be found on the front of the bottle above the label. The product was shipped between March 13 — Sept. 27, 2023, with the majority of product shipped before July 28, 2023.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com