Major Gatorade Recall Affecting More Than 30 States Given Risk Warning

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Major Gatorade Recall Affecting More Than 30 States Given Risk Warning

More than 122,000 cases of Gatorade sold across 37 states have been recalled after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that the drinks contained undeclared food colorings that could pose a risk to some consumers.

The FDA classified the recall as a Class II recall on October 2, covering 122,021 cases of 28-ounce bottles of Gatorade Lemon Lime, Gatorade Lemon Lime Zero, Gatorade Orange, and Gatorade Orange Zero. The products were recalled because they contain the unlisted food colorings, Yellow No. 5 and/or Yellow No. 6, according to the agency’s enforcement report.

The recall was voluntarily initiated by PepsiCo on September 25 and remains ongoing. No public press release had been issued at the time of publishing.

What Does a Class II Recall Mean?

The FDA defines a Class II recall as “a situation in which use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences” or where the chance of serious harm is considered to be unlikely.

Class II recalls are considered less severe than Class I recalls, which involve a “reasonable probability” of serious injury, illness, or even death, but they still indicate a potential health concern that warrants removing affected products from the marketplace.

Which States Are Affected?

The products were distributed to 37 states:

Alaska
Alabama
Arkansas
Arizona
California
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Iowa
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Mississippi
North Carolina
North Dakota
Nebraska
New Jersey
New Mexico
Nevada
New York
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Washington
Wisconsin

Why Are Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 a Concern?

Yellow No. 5, sometimes called tartrazine, and Yellow No. 6, known as Sunset Yellow FCF, are synthetic food dyes that are often used to give food and drinks a yellow or orange color.

Both Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 are approved for use by the FDA under specified conditions.

The issue in this recall isn’t that the dyes are banned, but that they weren’t declared on the product labels, potentially preventing consumers with sensitivities from avoiding them. The FDA specifically states that approved food colorings, including Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6, are “required to be declared on product labels.”

Federal regulations specifically require warning statements for certain products containing Yellow No. 5 because the dye “may cause allergic-type reactions (including bronchial asthma) in certain susceptible persons.” The FDA notes that such sensitivity appears to be uncommon in the general population but is seen more frequently among people with aspirin hypersensitivity.

Research published in the National Library of Medicine has also linked synthetic food dyes, including Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6, to hypersensitivity reactions such as hives and asthma symptoms in some people.

What Should Consumers Do?

Consumers who have the recalled Gatorade products should check the bottle lot numbers against the recall notice and avoid consuming the affected products, particularly if they have known sensitivities to food dyes or a history of allergic reactions.

The lot numbers for the recalled products include:

Lot 091026 DL – JUN 07 27
Lot 091126 DL – JUN 08 27
Lot 072226 DT – APR 18 27
Lot 072426 TL – APR 20 27
Lot 073126 TL – APR 27 27
Lot 072926 TL – APR 25 27
Lot 073026 TL – APR 25 27
Lot 081026 TL – MAY 07 27
Lot 082126 OA – APR 18 27
Lot 080126 DL – APR 28 27
Lot 082026 DL – MAY 17 27
Lot 083126 DT – JUN 07 27
Lot 082526 KM – MAY 22 27
Lot 090426 KM – JUN 01 27
Lot 072726 TL – APR 23 27

The recall remains active while PepsiCo and regulators continue monitoring the affected products.

Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Tobias Meyjes and Anthony Murray.