Walmart shoppers in 23 states might want to take a look at any sunflower seed purchases they’ve made recently. There’s a recall out involving cashews inadvertently getting mixed into sunflower seed packages that do not list tree nuts as an ingredient.
The recall was voluntarily initiated by manufacturer George J. Howe Co., which the FDA posted as an announcement recently. Walmart subsequently added the recall to its corporate recall page.
The recall affects a total of 13,619 pounds of sunflower seeds.
The presence of undeclared cashews in these sunflower seed packages is a serious risk for those with tree nut allergies, as it could trigger a severe reaction and an emergency room visit. No illnesses have been reported so far, however.
According to the company, the mix-up happened due to an oversight during a changeover in the production line.
The three products on the list:
- A 11-ounce blue plastic stand-up pouch with the product name, Fresh Roasted Sunflower Seeds, Lightly Salted. It carries the UPC 073171003163 with the following best by dates: 08/28/2026, 09/18/2026, 10/01/2026, 10/09/2026, 11/18/2026, and 12/12/2026.
- An 11-ounce blue plastic stand-up pouch of Fresh Roasted Sunflower Seeds, No Salt, with the UPC 073171003200, and these best-by dates: 09/24/2026, 10/30/2026, 11/18/2026, and 12/11/2026.
- A 9.5-ounce gold label plastic tub, which goes by the brand name Sunflower Seeds, Roasted and Salted. Its UPC is 073171027015 and Best By dates of 07/22/2026 and 09/05/2026.
Walmart’s not the only place these nuts wound up in. Several other retailers, including Foodland, Giant Eagle, Piggly Wiggly, ShopRite, and Shop N Save, sold them too. The product was also distributed to independent grocers, food service contracts, specialty retailers, and airport concessions across the country.
The stock was distributed across 23 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Although the packaging carries a general warning that the product was made in a facility that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, milk products, soy, wheat, and eggs, cashews were not listed as an ingredient.
It’s worth noting that a facility warning is not the same as an ingredient list. Allergy shoppers know to read the actual ingredients. A bag labeled sunflower seeds shouldn’t have cashews in it.
For shoppers without a tree nut allergy, the seeds are fine. Anyone else is advised to return the product to the store for a full refund. For more information or questions, consumers can contact George J. Howe Co. at (800) 367-4693 (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST) or by email at quality@georgehowe.com.