Spring Mulberry Chocolate Recall: FDA Alert and Safety Info

If you’ve come across a Spring & Mulberry chocolate bar in your pantry and wondered whether it’s safe, you’re not alone. The company’s voluntary recall, first issued in January and expanded in May 2026, has prompted questions across the country. With no confirmed illnesses and all tested products negative for Salmonella, here’s a clear look at what happened, what’s affected, and what to do next.

Recalled product: Spring & Mulberry chocolate bars · Reason: Possible Salmonella contamination from dates · Recall date: May 8, 2026 (expanded) · Confirmed illnesses: 0

Key facts at a glance

Six critical details about the Spring & Mulberry recall, drawn directly from FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) recall notices:

Which Chocolate Bars Have Been Recalled by Spring & Mulberry?

The recall began with a single flavor and quickly expanded to cover the entire Spring & Mulberry line.

Spring & Mulberry Mint Leaf Date Sweetened Chocolate Bar

• The initial FDA (January 13 recall notice) covered one lot (Lot #025255) of the Mint Leaf Date Sweetened Chocolate Bar, available online and at select retailers since September 15, 2025.
• Consumers were told to dispose of the product and request a refund via email.

Complete list of recalled flavors and lot codes

On January 14, 2026, the company expanded the recall to include eight flavors. The FDA (updated recall notice) specified the following products:

• Earl Grey
• Lavender Rose (multiple lot numbers)
• Mango Chili
• Mint Leaf
• Mixed Berry (multiple lot numbers)
• Mulberry Fennel
• Pecan Date (multiple lot numbers)
• Pure Dark Minis

The notice stated that all other lot codes were unaffected at that stage. However, on May 8, 2026, the recall was again expanded to cover all Spring & Mulberry chocolate bars, as confirmed by the FDA (May 8 expansion notice).

Other chocolate recalls in 2026 unrelated to Spring & Mulberry

• Separately, Nestlé issued a recall of Kit Kat bars in another event (no connection to Spring & Mulberry).
• The FDA (Recalls, Market Withdrawals & Safety Alerts database) tracks all active food recalls.

The implication: the recall scope expanded significantly over four months, reflecting the complexity of tracing contamination in date ingredients.

Is Spring and Mulberry Chocolate Safe to Eat?

What the FDA says about safety

• The FDA (official notice) states that the recall is voluntary and precautionary. No confirmed illnesses have been reported.
• Routine third-party testing by the company’s contract manufacturer first detected Salmonella in finished product, triggering the recall.

What Spring and Mulberry says

“We are expanding our recall out of an abundance of caution.” — Spring & Mulberry company statement

Spring & Mulberry (official recall page)

No reported illnesses as of May 2026

• Both the FDA (initial notice) and the FDA (January 14 notice) confirmed zero adverse health effects.
• All tested products — from the initial batch and the expanded recall — came back negative for Salmonella, according to the FDA (May 8 notice).

What this means: despite the lack of confirmed cases, the FDA’s advisory to discard all bars underscores that the precautionary principle drives official guidance.

Why Was Kit Kat Recalled and Is It Related?

Nestlé Kit Kat recall details

• Nestlé issued a separate recall of Kit Kat bars in 2026 due to a different contamination issue, as reported by Fox Business (recall roundup).
• The recall involved approximately 12 tons of product, but this figure comes from news reporting and is not confirmed by FDA — treat as unverified.

No connection to Spring and Mulberry recall

• The two recalls involve different companies, different supply chains, and different contamination concerns. The The Hill (recall coverage) confirmed no overlap between the events.

Largest chocolate recalls in history

• Spring & Mulberry is a small brand compared with multinationals. Chocolate recalls have occurred at scale before — for example, the 2022 Ferrero Kinder recall linked to Salmonella in Europe. The CDC (Salmonella information) notes that chocolate is a known risk vector for Salmonella because of its low water activity, which protects the bacteria.

The pattern: separate recalls often arise from different supply chain risks, so consumers should evaluate each event independently.

Was Lindt Chocolate Recalled?

Lindt recall history unrelated to Spring & Mulberry

• As of May 2026, there have been no Lindt chocolate recalls connected to the Spring & Mulberry event. The FDA (recall database) shows no Lindt products in active recall for Salmonella.
• Lindt has had isolated recalls in past years (e.g., for undeclared milk), but none related to the current outbreak.

Difference between voluntary recall and precautionary removal

• Spring & Mulberry’s recall is a voluntary precautionary removal — they chose to pull products before any confirmed illnesses. This differs from a mandatory recall ordered by the FDA, which typically follows confirmed outbreak cases.
• FDA (guidance on voluntary recalls) explains that many such actions are taken proactively.

The takeaway: Lindt’s absence from this recall highlights that Spring & Mulberry’s issue is isolated to its own supplier.

What Is the Unhealthiest Chocolate to Eat?

General guidance on chocolate and health

• This question often arises during chocolate safety discussions. While unrelated to the recall, chocolate’s health impact depends on sugar, fat, and cacao content. For more on nutritional comparisons, see our analysis.
• Mass-market chocolate bars typically contain more sugar and less cacao than dark chocolate. The CDC (nutrition data) provides context on how chocolate fits into a balanced diet.

Sugar and fat content in mass-market chocolate

• No single chocolate is “unhealthiest” across the board, but products with added fillings (caramel, nougat) often rank higher in added sugars.
• Spring & Mulberry bars, which use dates as a sweetener, are generally lower in refined sugar — though the recall is about food safety, not nutrition.

The perspective: while nutritional profiles vary, the Spring & Mulberry recall is about safety, not health ratings.

When Should You Not Eat Mulberry?

Side effects of mulberry

• Unripe mulberries can cause digestive upset, nausea, and diarrhea due to compounds that break down when the fruit ripens. The FDA (food safety resources) advise avoiding unripe berries of any kind. For more on food safety concerns, read our guide.
• Ripe mulberries are generally safe but may trigger allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.

Mulberry in chocolate products

• Despite the brand name “Spring & Mulberry”, the chocolate bars do not contain mulberry fruit. The sweetener is dates. The name refers to the company’s aesthetic, not an ingredient.

Ripeness and food safety

• The recall is about Salmonella in dates, not mulberry safety. The two topics are distinct.

The distinction: the brand name is misleading, as the bars contain dates, not mulberries, so the recall concerns dates.

Timeline of the Spring & Mulberry Chocolate Recall

• January 13, 2026: FDA (initial notice) — Spring & Mulberry recalls one lot of Mint Leaf Date Sweetened Chocolate Bar (lot #025255) due to possible Salmonella.
• January 14, 2026: FDA (expanded notice) — Recall expands to eight flavors; still no illnesses reported.
• May 8, 2026: FDA (second expansion) — Spring & Mulberry recalls all chocolate bars after finding a single lot of dates as likely source.
• May 10, 2026: Fox Business (report) — Wider media coverage of the expanded recall reaches consumers.

The implication: the recall timeline shows rapid escalation from a single lot to full product pull.

Confirmed Facts vs What’s Unclear

The balance: understanding what is known and unknown helps consumers make informed decisions.

Quotes from Key Sources

“Spring & Mulberry Expands Voluntary Recall of Select Chocolate Bars Because of Possible Health Risk.”

FDA (official recall notice)

“We are expanding our recall out of an abundance of caution.”

Spring & Mulberry (company statement)

Summary: What This Means for You

Spring & Mulberry acted fast after detecting a possible Salmonella risk from dates used in its chocolate bars. With zero confirmed illnesses and all lab tests negative, the recall stands as a rare example of a company pulling every product from shelves before problems arise. For consumers who already bought a bar, the choice is straightforward: don’t eat it, take a photo of the lot code, and email recalls@springandmulberry.com for a full refund. For the chocolate industry, this recall reinforces that even small brands can face supply-chain risks — and that transparency often protects reputation better than silence.

För en fullständig lista över återkallade sorter med lot number och produktionsdatum, se den fullständig lista över återkallade sorter som företaget offentliggjort tillsammans med FDA.

Frequently asked questions