Vitality Works Inc. has recalled a single lot of 365 Whole Foods Market Standardized + Full Spectrum Blend Ashwagandha Capsules after testing turned up Salmonella in one bottle. The recall covers 120-count bottles carrying lot number 2025-26227, which were sold for nearly a year before the problem surfaced.
How the Contamination Was Found
Vitality Works Inc., the Albuquerque, New Mexico-based manufacturer, says the issue was caught through routine sampling of a single retail unit, and that one bottle tested positive, according to Food Poison Journal. The recalled capsules were sold at Whole Foods Market stores in 30 states and the District of Columbia, as well as online through Amazon.com, from November 24, 2025, through October 20, 2026 — nearly eleven months on shelves before the recall was announced.
The affected lot carries an expiration date of October 13, 2028, and bears UPC 9948252099, per the same account. As of the recall announcement, no illnesses had been reported in connection with the product, the outlet noted.
Conflicting Guidance on Returns
Shoppers are being given different instructions depending on the source. Food Poison Journal reports that Vitality Works is advising customers not to take the capsules and to simply throw the bottle away rather than bring it back to a store. The Miami Herald, however, reports that consumers should return recalled capsules to the store where they were purchased. Either way, refunds are available at any Whole Foods Market store, and customers who bought the capsules through Amazon.com can request an online refund, according to the Miami Herald.
Food Poison Journal reports the Vitality Works recall line, (505) 268-9950, is staffed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain Time, while the Miami Herald gives the equivalent hours as 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time.
What Salmonella Exposure Can Look Like
Salmonella infects roughly 1.35 million people in the United States every year, according to the CDC. Symptoms usually include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, and the agency notes that in rare cases infection can lead to other health problems.
Food Poison Journal adds that symptoms typically appear six hours to six days after exposure and can include diarrhea that may be bloody, fever, nausea, vomiting and stomach cramps, usually lasting four to seven days. Most people recover without treatment within that window, but anyone with bloody diarrhea should go to a hospital. Children under five, adults over 65, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are the most likely to be hospitalized, the outlet reports.
