Ashwagandha Capsules Recall Over Salmonella Risk

An ashwagandha capsules recall posted by the Food and Drug Administration on 30 October covers a single lot of a supplement that has been on shelves for almost a year. Vitality Works Inc. of Albuquerque, New Mexico is recalling 365 Whole Foods Market Standardized plus Full Spectrum Blend Ashwagandha Capsules in the 120-count size over possible salmonella contamination.

No illnesses have been reported. The problem was picked up by the company’s own routine sampling of one retail unit, which is the kind of catch that happens before anyone gets sick rather than after.

Which bottles the ashwagandha capsules recall covers

Only one lot is affected, so the identifying marks matter more than the product name. Check all three before deciding what you have.

• Lot number 2025-26227, printed on the bottle.
• Expiration date 10/13/2028, printed on the bottom of the bottle.
• UPC 9948252099, on a white plastic bottle of 120 capsules.

The capsules were sold from 24 November 2025 through 20 October 2026, both on Amazon and in Whole Foods Market stores. The company updated its announcement on 30 October to say the distribution was nationwide rather than limited to selected states, so location is not a reason to assume a bottle is unaffected.

The timing is worth reading closely. Sales stopped on 20 October and the recall notice followed ten days later, which fits a result arriving from a test rather than from a cluster of reported cases. A precautionary recall of one lot looks very different from an outbreak response, and this is the former.

What to do if you have one

Do not take the capsules. The instruction from Vitality Works is to throw the bottle away rather than carry it back to a shop, and refunds are available at any Whole Foods Market store without returning the product. The company can be reached on 505-268-9950 between 8am and 5pm Mountain Time, Monday to Friday.

Ashwagandha is a botanical sold as a stress supplement, and this particular bottle is labelled for a healthy stress response in a 120-capsule vegan format. Supplements made from dried plant material are tested for salmonella precisely because the raw ingredient is an agricultural product rather than a manufactured one.

Salmonella causes fever, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain in otherwise healthy people. The FDA notice warns that infections can be serious and sometimes fatal for young children, frail or elderly people, and anyone with a weakened immune system.

Where a recall leaves you as a buyer

A refund without a receipt or a returned product is the straightforward outcome here, and most recalls end there. Where a purchase goes wrong in a way a shop will not fix, the routes are the same ones that apply to any faulty goods: our guides to small claims court and to lemon law protections set out what those processes actually involve.

What the recall does not cover

It is one lot, not a product line. Bottles outside lot 2025-26227, or with a different expiration date to 10/13/2028, are not part of this action, and the brand’s other ashwagandha formats are untouched. Checking the three identifiers takes a few seconds and settles the question better than the headline does.

There were also no reported illnesses when the notice was published. That is worth stating plainly, because recalls and outbreaks get reported in similar language and this is not an outbreak. A refund is available at any Whole Foods Market store without the bottle, since customers are being asked to throw it away rather than carry it back.

Related Articles

• Healthiest States in the US Ranked
• How to Track Sleep on Apple Watch
• Safest Cities in the US