Brad’s Recalls Kale Chips Over Thallium, Months After California Warned Shoppers
About 25,000 bags of Brad's kale chips may contain thallium. In May, California health officials said the manufacturer had refused to remove the products from the marketplace.
Snack Right Super Foods, which sells Brad’s Plant Based snacks, is recalling about 25,000 bags of kale chips that may contain thallium, a toxic metal. The recall was posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Nov. 3, 2026. California health officials had warned consumers about the products in May.
TLDR
- The recall covers Brad’s Crunchy Kale in Original, Cheeze It Up and Radical Ranch, and Brad’s Veggie Chips Kale.
- The bags were distributed nationwide between October and December 2025, through KeHE Distributors and United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI).
- The company says its process did not add the metal. It says drying the kale concentrates elements already in the leaves.
- In May, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said the manufacturer had been asked to recall the products voluntarily and had refused to remove them from the marketplace.
What Is Being Recalled
The recall lists eleven lots across four products: Brad’s Crunchy Kale Original, Cheeze It Up and Radical Ranch in 2-ounce bags, and Brad’s Veggie Chips Kale in 3-ounce bags. Best By dates run from Dec. 21, 2026, to Feb. 17, 2027. The company estimates about 2,097 cases are in commerce.
The company announced the recall on Nov. 2. It says the recall began after FDA advised it of thallium in tested products. The notice does not report any illnesses.
Consumers are told to stop eating the products and throw them away. The notice says refunds are not being offered and the bags should not be returned to stores. Anyone who believes they had health effects should contact a health care provider.
How It Surfaced
CDPH opened its investigation after a January 2026 inquiry from one person with elevated thallium levels who had eaten Brad’s kale products, according to the department’s May release as reported by KMPH. CDPH staff then collected samples at retail grocery stores in the Sacramento region. Lab tests found elevated thallium across several lots and multiple varieties.
CDPH said it worked with FDA and Pennsylvania, where the products are distributed from, to notify the manufacturer of the elevated levels. The manufacturer was asked to recall the products voluntarily and, as of the May release, had refused to remove them from the marketplace, CDPH said. The labels read “Product of Mexico,” according to the release.
The state’s warning was broader than the company’s recall. CDPH named eight products, including Crunchy Kale Vampire Killer and Nacho and two salad snacks. CDPH also told consumers they could return products for a refund, while the company’s notice now says refunds are not being offered.
What Thallium Is
Thallium occurs naturally in soil and in sulfur-based minerals, the recall notice says. Plants in the cabbage family, which includes kale, can take it up. Acute or chronic exposure at relatively high levels can cause serious health effects, including gastroenteritis, damage to peripheral nerves and hair loss, the notice says.
The company says the contaminant was not introduced in manufacturing. Dehydration removes about 85 to 90 percent of the product’s water, it says, which concentrates elements already present in the fresh kale. Neither the recall notice nor CDPH’s release gives the thallium levels measured.
Why It Matters
More than five months passed between California’s May warning and the company’s Nov. 2 recall. The recalled bags shipped between October and December 2025 and carry Best By dates as late as Feb. 17, 2027. The company’s explanation is that dehydration, which removes 85 to 90 percent of the water, concentrates elements already present in fresh kale. Four of the eight products CDPH named in May are not part of the recall.
Sources: FDA, Snack Right Super Foods recall notice; California Department of Public Health, May 2026 release; KMPH.