Kale chips are the kind of snack that feels like the safe choice — the one you reach for instead of something fried, something you don’t think twice about tossing in a lunch bag. That’s exactly why this recall is worth a minute of your time. Brad’s Raw Chips has pulled several kale products nationwide after testing linked them to thallium, a heavy metal, following one customer’s elevated blood levels. Here’s what’s actually in your pantry, and what to do about it.
What’s being recalled
Snack Right Super Foods, Inc., the Coral Gables, Florida company behind Brad’s Raw Chips, is recalling multiple kale products sold under its Brad’s Plant Based brand. The affected bags include Brad’s Crunchy Kale in Original, Cheeze It Up, and Radical Ranch flavors, plus Brad’s Veggie Chips Kale. All of them may contain thallium.
If you’ve bought kale chips from this brand in the past year, the recall covers roughly 25,000 bags — about 2,097 cases — distributed between October and December 2025. That’s a wide window, so it’s worth checking what’s actually in your cabinet right now.
How the products reached your shelf
The chips moved through two major distributors, KeHE and United Natural Foods, Inc., which supply grocery stores across the country. Five individual consumers also bought bags directly from the company. Either path could have put a flagged bag in your kitchen.
This is why the FDA isn’t naming specific stores or states in its notice — the distribution network is too broad to isolate that way. Your safest move is checking the UPC and lot number on the bag itself, not where you happened to buy it.
The products and lot numbers to check
Brad’s Crunchy Kale, Original (2 oz, UPC 813104021679): lots 33525-1, 33525-2, 33525-3, 34525-1, and 35125-2, with best-by dates between February 1 and February 17, 2027. Brad’s Crunchy Kale, Cheeze It Up (2 oz, UPC 813104021877): lot 35025-3, best by February 16, 2027.
Brad’s Crunchy Kale, Radical Ranch (2 oz, UPC 813104020726): lot 29425-1, best by December 21, 2026. Brad’s Veggie Chips Kale (3 oz, UPC 854615002054): lots 33225-3, 33325-2, 33425-1, and 33525-1, with best-by dates between January 28 and February 1, 2027.
How thallium ended up in a kale chip
Thallium is a heavy metal, and the company says its manufacturing process didn’t introduce it. Kale, like a lot of leafy greens, absorbs elements directly from the soil it grows in. Dehydrating the chips strips out most of the water weight — and concentrates whatever the plant pulled from the ground along with it.
That concentration effect is the mechanism investigators are pointing to, not a contamination error at the factory. It’s a reminder that “recalled” doesn’t always mean something was added wrong — sometimes it means a known risk just got measured for the first time.
How investigators found it
California’s Department of Public Health started looking into this in May 2026, after one person turned up with elevated thallium levels and an inquiry traced back to kale chips. The department pulled samples from retail stores in the Sacramento area and sent them to a lab.
Keep in mind that one case triggered a nationwide recall — that’s the system working as intended, not an overreaction. The FDA followed up directly with the company after its own testing confirmed thallium across multiple flavors.
What thallium exposure can actually do
At high levels, acute or chronic thallium exposure can cause gastroenteritis — inflammation of the stomach and intestines — along with damage to peripheral nerves and hair loss. The FDA hasn’t confirmed any illnesses tied to these bags beyond the one case that started the investigation.
If you’ve eaten these chips and noticed stomach issues, nerve pain, or unexplained hair loss, that’s worth mentioning to a doctor — not something to self-diagnose off a recall notice alone.
What the company is telling customers
Snack Right Super Foods isn’t offering refunds, and it’s asking customers not to return the bags to the stores where they bought them. Instead, the company wants the recalled products thrown away at home.
Try reaching the company directly if you have questions — a representative is handling consumer calls Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern, with a promised response within one business day. The FDA’s own consumer line, 1-888-INFO-FDA, is open too.
The bottom line
A kale chip recall over a naturally occurring metal isn’t the same kind of story as a contamination scandal — it’s closer to a reminder that “healthy” and “risk-free” aren’t always the same label. The fix here is specific, not scary.
If you try one thing, make it this: pull any Brad’s kale product out of your pantry, check the UPC and lot number against the list above, and toss anything that matches. You don’t need to panic over a snack — you just need five minutes with the bag in hand.