Martinelli’s Recalls Apple Juice Over Elevated Arsenic Levels

Double-check your apple juice before drinking it. 

Food Safety News reports that S. Martinelli & Company is recalling approximately 25,000 cases of Martinelli’s Gold Medal Apple Juice because sampling conducted in Maryland showed elevated levels of inorganic arsenic in the product.

The recall, which is ongoing, was issued on April 16, and S. Martinelli & Co. has reached out to vendors in 34 U.S. states, as well as Puerto Rico and Panama, where the juices were distributed. Food Safety News notes that these states include: 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, Wisconsin.

The juice’s best-by dates are March 9 and 10, 2026. For a full list of the affected batch numbers, go here.

Though the affected apple juice has a 2026 expiration date, it was actually produced early last year and shipped to grocery stores between March and September of 2023, with the majority of shipments delivered prior to July 28, 2023. No other products in the Martinelli’s line are affected, and S. Martinelli & Co. has instructed retailers to discontinue sales of the product. 

While the FDA explains that elevated levels of arsenic can cause negative health effects as wide-ranging as developmental defects, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, so far, no one has complained of adverse effects from the recalled Martinelli’s apple juice. Relatedly, the FDA only issued its official guidance on inorganic arsenic levels in apple juice as recently as June 2023; before that, it had spent 10 years in the draft phase, not codified by the agency. 

The current action level is 10 parts per billion, whereas it had previously been 23 parts per billion. The apple juice tested in Maryland indicated 11.6 parts per billion. 

Martinelli’s issued a recall on this same variety of apple juice last year because of a potential issue with the glass used to make the bottles. The quality of the glass was such that there was a risk of shards chipping off into the juice, though this was a smaller-scale recall and the issue has since been resolved.