More than 44,000 cans of Great Value Fruit Cocktail in Fruit Juice from Concentrate are under recall after testing turned up elevated levels of lead, according to a federal alert. The 15-ounce cans were sold at Walmart stores across Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wyoming, and shoppers who have them at home are being urged to check the label closely.
The recall traces back to Pacific Coast Producers, the California-based company that manufactures the cans and that initiated the voluntary recall on October 1, according to USA Today. The FDA classified the action as a Class II recall on October 20, as WNEP reported, which the agency describes as the second-most severe alert level: a situation in which exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible health problems, or where the chance of serious harm is remote.
What's on the Label
Shoppers can identify the affected product by its lot code, 6FCB 04 C2263, paired with a best-if-used-by date of September 1, 2027. The recall covers 1,836 cases, with each case holding 24 cans, the station's report notes. No other lots or other Great Value products are affected, per The Hill.
The recall carries an official number, H-0167-2027, according to NewsNation. Beyond that identifying information, the FDA alert leaves several basic questions unanswered. The agency did not specify the actual lead levels detected in the cans, did not say how the potential contamination was discovered, and did not indicate whether any illnesses have been reported in connection with the product.
No Press Release, No Hotline Listed
Unlike some recalls, the FDA alert did not come packaged with a press release, and it did not include consumer return instructions or a customer contact number. As of October 22, Walmart itself had not posted a public recall notice on its own website, the same account notes, leaving shoppers to rely on the FDA listing and news coverage for details.
This recall lands amid a rough stretch for shelf-stable and frozen fruit products sold at major retailers. It follows a separate, ongoing multistate E. coli outbreak tied to frozen berries sold at Trader Joe's and Walmart, which USA Today reports first expanded to include a Walmart frozen berry product on September 2 and was broadened again on October 2 to include additional Walmart and Trader Joe's items.
A Recurring Concern With Canned Fruit
Lead contamination in canned fruit sold at major chains is not a new worry. A separate recall last October involved canned fruit products sold at Walmart and Wegmans over high lead levels, according to a report from EatingWell. On the regulatory side, the FDA has previously floated a draft action level of 20 parts per billion for lead in other fruit and vegetable juices, estimating that threshold could cut children's lead exposure from those juices by 19 percent, per the agency's own guidance. That figure describes a proposed standard for juice broadly and is not a measurement tied to the current fruit cocktail recall.
For now, the FDA's Class II classification signals that regulators view the risk from the recalled cans as limited but not negligible. Shoppers with the affected lot code and best-by date are advised to avoid consuming the product, even as the agency has yet to detail the scope of lead levels found or clarify how the issue first came to light.
