A North Carolina chocolate company just quadrupled its recall from one flavor to eight after routine testing revealed a contamination threat that could kill vulnerable consumers—yet nobody has reported getting sick.
Story Snapshot
- Spring & Mulberry expanded its chocolate bar recall from one to eight flavors after Salmonella detection on shared production equipment
- The recall covers date-sweetened chocolate bars sold nationwide since September 2025 through Amazon and specialty grocers
- No illnesses have been reported despite four months of distribution, but Salmonella poses serious risks to elderly and immunocompromised consumers
- Affected flavors include Earl Grey, Lavender Rose, Mango Chili, Mixed Berry, Mulberry Fennel, Pecan Date, Pure Dark Minis, and the original Mint Leaf
When Healthy Choices Turn Hazardous
Spring & Mulberry built its brand on premium, date-sweetened chocolate bars marketed as healthier alternatives to traditional sweets. The Raleigh-based company launched these low-sugar, plant-based products in 2025, targeting health-conscious consumers willing to pay premium prices for cleaner ingredients.
That positioning makes this recall particularly damaging. The company’s core customers chose these bars specifically to avoid conventional food industry risks, yet routine third-party testing by their contract manufacturer found Salmonella lurking in finished products. The initial recall on January 12, 2026, targeted only the Mint Leaf flavor bearing lot number 025255.
Additional chocolate bars have been added to an already-expanded recall launched over possible salmonella contamination. https://t.co/J6MscnouPh
— KTLA (@KTLA) May 10, 2026
Two days later, the FDA published an expanded recall notice that revealed the true scope of potential contamination. Seven additional flavors produced on the same equipment during the same production window joined the recall list. The company acted in consultation with FDA regulators after intermittent Salmonella detection raised concerns about cross-contamination across product lines.
This expansion represents standard protocol when bacterial presence proves non-homogeneous, meaning the pathogen appears sporadically rather than uniformly throughout production batches. The recall classification as Class I indicates high risk, the most serious category reserved for situations where contaminated products could cause severe health consequences or death.
The Invisible Threat in Chocolate Production
Salmonella contamination in chocolate remains relatively rare, but precedents exist that explain why regulators take these threats seriously. European chocolate manufacturers faced similar recalls in 2022 when Barry Callebaut’s cocoa tested positive for Salmonella, and Belgian producers recalled Milka and Kinder products in 2019 for the same pathogen.
The bacterium survives surprisingly well in low-moisture environments like chocolate, contradicting assumptions that dry foods resist bacterial growth. Contamination typically enters through raw ingredients such as cocoa, nuts, or dates, or occurs during post-processing handling when equipment sanitation fails.
Spring & Mulberry has not disclosed the contamination source, leaving consumers and retailers to speculate whether the problem originated with ingredients or manufacturing practices. The company’s silence on this crucial detail contrasts sharply with their swift recall expansion, suggesting either ongoing investigation or liability concerns.
The FDA’s heightened scrutiny of food safety following major Salmonella outbreaks in eggs and onions during 2023-2025 likely influenced the aggressive recall timeline. For a startup company with no prior recall history, this incident arrives at the worst possible moment during brand establishment, when consumer trust determines survival in competitive specialty food markets.
What Consumers Need to Know
Products entered nationwide distribution on September 15, 2025, giving potentially contaminated chocolate bars four months to reach consumers before the initial recall. The affected items sold through Amazon and specialty grocers targeting natural foods shoppers, precisely the demographic most likely to serve these products to children or elderly family members during the extended holiday season.
Salmonella infection causes fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain in healthy adults, typically resolving without treatment. However, the bacterium proves far more dangerous for young children, elderly adults, and immunocompromised individuals who may develop severe complications requiring hospitalization or leading to death.
More chocolate bars added to nationwide recall over possible contaminationhttps://t.co/xhOQlbTIv9
— The Hill (@thehill) May 10, 2026
The absence of reported illnesses after four months of distribution suggests either limited contamination levels, low consumption rates, or unreported cases that consumers attributed to other causes. The FDA recommends consumers immediately dispose of affected products and contact [email protected] with photos of lot codes to request refunds.
Retailers have pulled remaining inventory, though the nationwide scope and online distribution channels complicate complete product removal. For a niche brand selling through multiple channels, tracking every unit presents significant operational challenges that larger manufacturers with centralized distribution avoid.
Industry Implications and Precedents
This recall establishes important precedents for small specialty food manufacturers who position products as healthier alternatives. The health food sector attracts consumers specifically seeking to avoid industrial food system risks, creating heightened sensitivity to safety failures that would generate less controversy for conventional brands.
Spring & Mulberry’s proactive expansion before any illness reports demonstrates responsible crisis management, yet the brand damage may prove difficult to repair among customers who selected these products specifically for perceived safety and quality.
The incident highlights tensions between small-batch production methods favored by specialty manufacturers and the rigorous testing protocols that industrial-scale producers implement as standard practice.
The chocolate industry will likely face increased scrutiny of equipment sanitation practices, particularly for manufacturers producing multiple flavors on shared lines. Spring & Mulberry’s experience proves that Salmonella can contaminate even premium products made with carefully sourced ingredients when production controls fail.
The recall’s timing during a period of heightened FDA enforcement sends clear signals that regulators will not tolerate lax safety standards regardless of company size or market positioning.
For consumers, this incident reinforces fundamental food safety principles: premium pricing and health-focused marketing provide no protection against contamination, and recall alerts demand immediate attention even when personal illness symptoms remain absent.
Sources:
Spring and Mulberry Chocolate Bars Recalled for Salmonella Risk – Consumer Reports
