Walmart recalls canned fruit cocktail over lead contamination risk
Check your pantry before opening that can of fruit cocktail. Walmart is recalling more than 1,800 cases – roughly 44,000 cans – of Great Value Fruit Cocktail in Fruit Juice from Concentrate because the product may contain elevated levels of lead.
The recall affects a very specific batch, so this isn't a "throw every can of Great Value fruit into the trash" situation. But if you have the affected cans, don't eat them.
The can you need to check
The recalled fruit cocktail comes in 15-ounce cans and was sold at Walmart stores in Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wyoming.
Check your can for Lot 6FCB 04 C2263, UPC: 078742369570 and Best If Used By date of SEP 01 2027. If all three match, you've got the recalled product. No other lots of this Great Value fruit cocktail or other Great Value products are included in the recall, which the FDA classified as Class II. This means eating the product could cause temporary or medically reversible health problems.
What you should do with it
First: don't taste-test it. This is one of those pantry situations where "I'll just have one bite" is not the move. If you have a can matching the recalled information, don't consume it.
Pacific Coast Producers, the manufacturer, initiated the recall on October 1, while the FDA classified it on October 20.
The danger of lead in food
Lead is not exactly an ingredient anyone needs. Per the FDA, there is no safe level of lead consumption. Exposure to it can cause neurological problems in children, including learning and behavioral difficulties.
Adults aren't off the hook either, as lead exposure can affect the kidneys, raise blood pressure and cause neurocognitive problems. So if you find the recalled fruit cocktail hiding behind that forgotten can of beans in your pantry, don't eat it just because it looks perfectly normal. Check the lot number and if it matches, skip the fruit salad.
Source: Allrecipes
