Brad’s kale chips recalled over possible thallium contamination

Snack Right Super Foods, Inc., which does business as Brad's Raw Chips, is recalling some bags of Brad's Plant Based Crunchy Kale and Brad's Veggie Chips Kale because they may contain thallium, a toxic metal. The company announced the voluntary recall on November 2, 2026, and the FDA posted it on November 3. About 25,000 bags are estimated to be in stores and homes.

The recall comes almost six months after California health officials first warned people not to eat these snacks. The products in the recall went out between October and December 2025, and the latest best-by date is February 17, 2027, so some bags may still be in pantries.

Recall details

Brad's Crunchy Kale, Original, 2 oz (57 g) bag, UPC 813104021679. Lots 33525-1, 33525-2 and 33525-3 (best by February 1, 2027), lot 34525-1 (best by February 11, 2027) and lot 35125-2 (best by February 17, 2027).
Brad's Crunchy Kale, Cheeze It Up, 2 oz (57 g) bag, UPC 813104021877. Lot 35025-3 (best by February 16, 2027).
Brad's Crunchy Kale, Radical Ranch, 2 oz (57 g) bag, UPC 813104020726. Lot 29425-1 (best by December 21, 2026).
Brad's Veggie Chips Kale, 3 oz (85 g) bag, UPC 854615002054. Lots 33225-3, 33325-2, 33425-1 and 33525-1 (best by January 28 through February 1, 2027).
Where sold: nationwide, through the distributors KeHE and United Natural Foods (UNFI), plus direct sales to five consumers.

What to do if you have it

The company says to stop eating the chips and throw them away. Refunds are not being offered, and the bags should not be returned to the store. Questions go to Alexa Olvera at Snack Right Super Foods by email at [email protected], Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Anyone who thinks they have had health effects from the chips should contact their health care provider.

How thallium got into kale chips

Thallium is a metal that occurs naturally in soil. In its notice, the company explains that it "can be taken up by plants and vegetables, particularly those in the Brassicaceous family," the cabbage family that includes kale. It says the manufacturing process did not add the metal, but drying removes about 85 to 90 percent of the kale's water, which concentrates whatever the fresh leaves already held.

The company's notice says that "acute or chronic exposure to thallium at relatively high levels can result in serious adverse health effects, including gastroenteritis, damage to peripheral nerves, and alopecia (hair loss)." The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry lists hair loss, numbness and pain in the feet and hands, stomach and intestinal effects, and heart problems in people poisoned with thallium.

A long road to a recall

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) began investigating in January 2026 after a person with elevated thallium levels asked about a food they had eaten: Brad's Plant Based kale products. State staff bought samples in the Sacramento area, and tests found "concerning levels of thallium in multiple varieties." In May, CDPH warned consumers to avoid the products and said the manufacturer had "refused to remove these products from the marketplace." The recall followed after the FDA told the company about thallium in products the agency tested.

The California warning covered more varieties than the recall does, including Brad's Salad Snack products, and advised people to avoid any Brad's product containing kale. If you have a Brad's kale snack that is not on the recall list, the state's advice still applies.

Practical tips

Check your pantry for the lot numbers above. They are printed on the bag along with the best-by date.
If you grow vegetables near a former industrial or hazardous waste site, ATSDR suggests having the soil tested first.
For personal care and household products, our label checker rates each ingredient on the label.

Other contaminant recalls we have covered this fall include Wise Wife ground cinnamon and lead and organic applesauce and patulin.