If you have apple juice in your fridge, you might want to inspect the bottle. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), more than 170,000 bottles of apple juice have been voluntarily recalled by manufacturer S. Martinelli & Co. in 28 states for potential contamination with a toxic compound. Keep reading for important details and how to identify affected products.  

Apple juice bottles recalled for contamination risk

Martinelli & Co. issued a recall on March 18 for more than 7,200 cases of apple juice, each containing 24 bottles per case, per the FDA. The cause was concern regarding possible contamination with patulin.

Patulin is a toxic mold that grows on fruit, grains and cheese. While patulin in juice or cider made from apples is the most widely-known circumstance, it is preventable as removing rotten portions of fruit can significantly or even completely eliminate patulin from food and drink. Patulin contamination most likely occurs when companies use moldy apples to make juice, notes the FDA, and pasteurization won’t get rid of the substance.  

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In a statement to TODAY, Martinelli & Co. explained that routine testing by the FDA in 2024 indicated that one lot of 10-oz. Apple Juice glass bottles (in 4-packs only) produced in December 2023 may contain elevated levels of patulin. 

“In full cooperation with the FDA, Martinelli issued a voluntary recall of the small amount of product potentially impacted by this issue,” the company said. “Martinelli’s has worked with those retailers that received the product and the retailers have removed anything that still remained in inventory.”

How to check if you have recalled apple juice 

The pulled product is a clear, round glass bottle with a white metal screw-top lid, with 4-10 oz. bottles per pack and six packs in a case. It has a “best by” date of December 5, 2026, and is identified by the UPC number 0 41244 04102 2, found below the product’s barcode.

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Recalled bottles were sold in 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.

Drinking apple juice containing patulin can cause nausea, vomiting and possibly damage the DNA in some body cells, says the FDA. Martinelli & Co. said no health issues related to the recall have been reported at this time, but you should still be sure not to drink from a recalled bottle.