
170,000 bottles of apple juice recalled in Ohio, other states over toxic substance worry
The Watsonville, California-headquartered company announced the recall on March 18, citing "potential contamination with patulin," according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The recall impacts 7,234 cases of apple juice, which contained four of its signature 10-ounce glass bottles per pack, with six packs per case, bringing the recall to 173,616 bottles.
USA TODAY contacted S Martinelli & Company on April 26 but has not received a response.
The FDA said the impacted cases of apple juice were distributed in 28 U.S. states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.
The affected apple juice was sold by stores in 10-ounce 'bulbous/round glass bottle(s)" with a "white metal screw top lid," per the FDA's enforcement report. The recalled bottles had a 'best by' date of Dec. 5, 2026, and a UPC number reading '0 41244 04102 2.'
The recall is listed as Class II, meaning the use of or exposure to the product "may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences."
The four-packs of apple juice are available in-store at Meijer and listed for sale online through Target, Amazon and other retailers.
Meijer has 53 stores in Ohio, according to the data scraping website ScrapeHero. Ohio is second only to Michigan (with 124) in the number of Meijer stores in the nation.
According to the World Health Organization, patulin is a poisonous substance often found in rotting apples and apple products.
For humans, the acute symptoms from consuming patulin include nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances and vomiting, the agency said. The pasteurization process cannot remove patulin from the affected product, the FDA says.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: More than 170,000 bottles of Martinelli's Apple Juice recalled in Ohio, US

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