Whole Foods ashwagandha capsules recalled over Salmonella risk, and ground cinnamon in 14 states over lead

Two products sold in U.S. stores have been recalled over contamination risks, according to company announcements posted by the Food and Drug Administration. On October 30, Vitality Works Inc. of Albuquerque, New Mexico, recalled one lot of 365 Whole Foods Market ashwagandha capsules that may be contaminated with Salmonella. A day earlier, SLR Food Distribution Inc. of Hicksville, New York, recalled Wise Wife Brand Ground Cinnamon because it may contain elevated levels of lead.

The ashwagandha capsules

The recall covers lot 2025-26227 of 365 Whole Foods Market Standardized + Full Spectrum Blend Ashwagandha Capsules, 120 count. They come in white plastic bottles with UPC 9948252099, and the lot number and the expiration date, 10/13/2028, are printed on the bottom. The capsules were sold at Whole Foods Market stores nationwide and online through Amazon.com from November 24, 2025, through October 20, 2026. The company revised its announcement on October 30 to say the product had been distributed nationwide, not only in select states.

The possible contamination was found through routine sampling of a single retail unit, and no illnesses had been reported, the company said. It tells customers not to take the capsules, to throw them away rather than return them to the store, and to ask for a refund at any Whole Foods Market store. Vitality Works answers questions at (505) 268-9950, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain time.

According to the announcement, Salmonella infections can be serious, and sometimes fatal, for young children, frail or elderly people and anyone whose immune system is weakened. Otherwise healthy people who catch it may get a fever, diarrhea that can be bloody, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. Rarely, the bacteria reach the bloodstream and cause more severe illness.

The ground cinnamon

The recalled Wise Wife Brand Ground Cinnamon comes in a 110-gram (3.88-ounce) clear plastic container with a black screw-top cap. It has a best-before date of 4/25/2027, and the UPC, 0688474302754, is on the back label. It was distributed to retail and grocery stores in Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin between September 8, 2025, and June 28, 2026.

The recall began after the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station collected and analyzed a sample and found elevated levels of lead, the company said. Its announcement does not give the amount. No illnesses had been reported. Customers should not use the cinnamon and should throw it away or return it to the store for a full refund. SLR Food Distribution takes questions at 1-516-437-3782, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time.

The announcement says a brief exposure to very low levels of lead may produce no symptoms at all, and a raised blood lead level may be the only sign. It warns that in a child exposed to enough lead over weeks or months, the central nervous system may be permanently damaged, which can cause learning disorders, developmental defects and other lasting health problems.

Lead in cinnamon has drawn FDA warnings before

The FDA began a targeted survey of ground cinnamon after an October 2023 recall of cinnamon apple puree and applesauce products, whose elevated lead was linked to the cinnamon in them. It tested ground cinnamon from discount retail stores and, in a March 2024 alert, told consumers to throw away products from six distributors that contained 2.03 to 3.4 parts per million of lead. Because those products have a long shelf life, the alert advised people to check their homes.

The FDA says it continues to monitor ground cinnamon for lead, including through its work with states that test cinnamon sold in stores, according to its page on lead in food. Most people have no obvious immediate symptoms of lead exposure, the agency says, and it advises anyone who suspects exposure to talk to a health care provider.