Great Value fruit cocktail recall: lead, again, from the same cannery

44,064 cans of Great Value Fruit Cocktail, Walmart's store brand, are recalled because they may contain elevated levels of lead. The FDA classified the recall on October 20, 2026. The cans were made by Pacific Coast Producers of Lodi, California — the same company that recalled canned pears and fruit cocktail for lead a year ago.

Which cans are recalled

• Great Value Fruit Cocktail in Fruit Juice from Concentrate, 15 oz (425 g) can, distributed by Walmart Inc.;
• UPC 078742369570;
• Lot 6FCB 04 C2263, best if used by SEP 01 2027.

According to the FDA's record, the recall covers 1,836 cases of 24 cans, shipped to Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wyoming. Only this lot is listed: a Great Value fruit cocktail can with a different lot code is not part of this recall.

The lot code and the date are printed on the can itself, usually on the lid or the bottom, not on the paper label. Compare all three: UPC, lot and best-by date.

What the FDA says, and what it does not

Pacific Coast Producers started the recall on October 1, 2026. The FDA rated it Class II: a product that may cause temporary or medically reversible health problems, where the probability of serious harm is remote. It is scheduled for the FDA's weekly Enforcement Report dated October 28.

The record gives the reason as "potential contamination with elevated levels of lead." It does not state the lead level measured, how the problem was detected, or whether anyone reported being sick.

The same cannery, one year earlier

In September 2025, Pacific Coast Producers recalled four canned fruit products for the same reason, "potential contamination with heavy metal (lead)." The FDA classified them Class II in October 2025:

• Pear Halves in pear juice, distributed by Walmart — 1,836 cases of 24 cans;
• Wegmans Fruit Cocktail, Halved Pears and organic Sliced Pears.

Those cans went to 27 states, and that recall is now listed as completed. Read side by side, the two sets of records share two details: the 2025 Wegmans fruit cocktail and this year's Great Value fruit cocktail have the same product prefix in their lot codes, 6FCB, and every recalled can from both years carries the same best-by date, SEP 01 2027. The FDA records do not explain how the two recalls relate, and we draw no conclusion beyond what they show.

Why lead is taken seriously

The FDA states that there is no known safe level of exposure to lead. The very young are the most vulnerable: according to the agency, high exposure in pregnancy, infancy and early childhood can cause neurological effects. Fruit cocktail is a common food for toddlers and lunch boxes, which is why a store-brand can matters even under a Class II rating.

A best-by date in September 2027 also means these cans can sit in a pantry for almost another year.