Over 133,000 Cases of Apple Juice Recalled Nationwide Due to Potentially Harmful Arsenic Levels

According to a posting by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), more than 133,000 cases of apple juice sold nationwide have been recalled after the products were found to contain potentially harmful levels of arsenic. This is an expansion of a previous recall initiated in late August, wherein 9,535 cases of Great Value brand apple juice were recalled. The Great Value brand juice was sold in Walmart stores in 23 states as well as Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.

Both recalls were initiated by the products' manufacturer, the Florida-based company Refresco Beverages US Inc. However, the expanded recall now affects products sold in 9 different retailers, including Walmart as well as Aldi, Dollar Tree, Walgreens, and BJ's Wholesale Club. The recall was initiated after the apple juice was found to contain levels of inorganic arsenic that exceeded industry guidance.

What Apple Juice Is Being Recalled?

The recall affects 133,500 cases of apple juice sold at the following retailers under the following brand names:

• Aldi: According to an Aldi press release, the store is recalling 64-ounce plastic bottles of Nature's Nectar 100% Apple Juice with "Best By" dates of March 26, 2025 and March 27, 2025. The recalled products will also bear the UPC code 4099100036381. The recalled apple juice was distributed to and sold in Aldi stores in 16 states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
• Walgreens: This recall affects 64-ounce bottles of Nice! 100% Apple Juice with the "Best By" date March 25, 2025. The Nice! brand apple juice was sold in Walgreens stores in Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. 
• Key Food: This recall affects 64-ounce bottles of Urban Meadow 100% Apple Juice with the "Best By" date March 26, 2025. The Urban Meadow brand juice was sold in Pennsylvania.
• BJ's Wholesale Club: This recall affects 96-ounce bottles of Wellsley Farms 100% Apple Juice with the "Best By" date March 26, 2025. The Wellsley Farms brand juice was sold in Florida, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. 
• Dollar General: This recall affects 64-ounce bottles of Clover Valley 100% Apple Juice with the "Best By" date March 27, 2025. The Clover Valley brand juice was sold in Dollar General stores in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, and South Carolina. 
• Weis: This recall affects 64-ounce bottles of Weis 100% Apple Juice with the "Sell By" date March 25, 2025. The juice was sold in Weis stores in Pennsylvania and Maryland.
• Market Basket: This recall affects 64-ounce bottles of Market Basket 100% Apple Juice from concentrate with the "Best By" March 25, 2025. The juice was sold in Market Basket stores in Maine.
• Lidl: This recall affects 64-ounce bottles of Solevita 100% Apple Juice with the "Best By" March 27, 2025. The Solevita brand juice was sold in Lidl stores in Virginia.

The previous recall also included Great Value 100% Juice Apple Juice sold in a six-pack of 8-ounce plastic bottles with the UPC code 0-78742-29655-5 and "Best if Used by" Dec. 28, 2024. The Great Value brand juice was sold in the following states: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, West Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C., and the territory of Puerto Rico.

If you have the recalled apple juice, the FDA has not posted specific actions consumers should take, however typically the best course of action in such recalls is to not consume the recalled products. They should be thrown away or returned to the original place of purchase.

While the levels of inorganic arsenic found in the recalled apple juice exceed the industry standards, they are low enough that the FDA does not expect them to cause severe health consequences. However, the FDA did classify the initial Great Value apple juice recall as a Class II recall, meaning the product "may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences," but the risk of serious adverse health consequences is "remote."

Elevated levels of arsenic (both organic and inorganic) can cause symptoms such as numbness, tingling, or pins and needles in the feet and hands, as well as stomach pain or diarrhea.

For more information on how arsenic can affect health, especially children's health, visit the Center for Disease Control (CDC)'s Arsenic Toxity page.