Chocolate Salmonella Lawsuit

Spring & Mulberry recalled 12 flavors of date-sweetened dark chocolate bars after the FDA identified a contaminated lot of dates as the likely source of Salmonella.

What You Can Do & How We Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting chocolate Salmonella food poisoning cases in all 50 states. If you got sick after eating chocolate bars that were recalled for Salmonella contamination, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Food Poisoning Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

Spring & Mulberry Chocolate Recall: Quick Facts (May 2026)

• Most recent recall: Spring & Mulberry chocolate bars
• Recall expanded: May 8, 2026 (originally announced January 12, 2026)
• Pathogen: Salmonella
• Source of contamination: Single lot of date ingredient (supplier-level recall)
• Flavors recalled: 12, including Pure Dark, Mint Leaf, Mixed Berry, Pecan Date, and others
• Where sold: Online and at retail partners nationwide since August 2025
• Illnesses reported: None confirmed to date
• What to do: Do not eat the chocolate; email a photo of the batch code to recalls@springandmulberry.com for a refund
• Official source: FDA recall notice

Spring & Mulberry Recalls Chocolate Bars for Salmonella Risk

In May 2026, Spring & Mulberry expanded a previously-announced voluntary recall of chocolate bars due to possible Salmonella contamination.

The expanded recall covers 12 flavors of date-sweetened dark chocolate bars. According to the company, a root cause investigation conducted with the FDA and food safety experts identified a single lot of date ingredient as the most likely source of contamination.

Spring & Mulberry described the situation on its own recall page as follows:

“The investigation has now identified a single lot of date ingredient used in the production of the company’s chocolate as the most likely source of contamination. In response, Spring and Mulberry is recalling all finished products produced with the implicated lot of date ingredient.”

The company also stated that all chocolate bars included in the expanded recall tested negative for Salmonella, and that no confirmed illnesses have been reported to date.

Which Chocolate Bars Were Recalled?

The recalled chocolate bars were sold online and through retail partners nationwide since August 2025. The recall covers the following flavors and lot codes (lot code is printed on the back of the package and inner flow wrap):

• Blood Orange (Orange box): 025217, 025289, 025325
• Coffee (Light Brown box): 025226, 025274, 025344
• Earl Grey (Purple box): 025346
• Lavender Rose (Light Blue box): 025204, 025205, 025212, 025216, 026037, 026040
• Mango Chili (Orange box): 025245, 025322, 025328
• Mint Leaf (Green box): 025225, 025272, 025342, 025364
• Mixed Berry (Purple box): 025220, 025223, 025247, 025248, 025251, 025253, 025288, 025296, 025335, 026008
• Mulberry Fennel (Burgundy box): 025230, 025287
• Pecan Date (Yellow box): 025233, 025237, 025238, 025239, 025240, 025241, 025290, 025294, 025329, 025330
• Pure Dark (Navy Blue box): 025217, 025218, 025219, 025254, 025266, 025269, 025324, 025338, 025350
• Pure Dark Mini (Navy Blue box): 025302, 025303, 026009
• Sea Salt (Grey box): 026013, 026014

What Is the Salmonella Risk?

According to the FDA, Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems. Even in otherwise healthy adults, Salmonella infection can result in significant illness.

Symptoms typically begin 6 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food and may include:

• Fever
• Diarrhea (which may be bloody)
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain

In rare cases, infection with Salmonella can lead to severe complications, including bloodstream infections, arterial infections (infected aneurysms), endocarditis, and reactive arthritis.

Why Is Chocolate a Recurring Source of Salmonella?

Chocolate has been linked to outbreaks of Salmonella for decades, and recalls of chocolate products for Salmonella contamination continue to occur on a regular basis.

There are several reasons chocolate is a particularly difficult food when it comes to Salmonella. The low water content and high fat content of chocolate increase the thermal resistance of Salmonella, meaning the bacteria can survive at temperatures that would normally kill it. Chocolate also acts as a protective medium that allows Salmonella to survive in finished product for more than a year.

Combined with the very small amount of Salmonella required to cause infection, these factors make chocolate an unusually high-risk food when contamination occurs anywhere in the supply chain.

Previous Chocolate Salmonella Recalls and Outbreaks

The Spring & Mulberry recall is not an isolated event. Chocolate products have been linked to multiple major Salmonella recalls and outbreaks in recent years:

• 2026 — Strauss Elite Chocolate Recall: Strauss Group recalled chocolate products for Salmonella contamination.
• 2022 — Ferrero / Kinder Chocolate Outbreak: A multinational Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak was linked to Kinder chocolate products made at a Ferrero factory in Belgium. More than 150 people in 11 countries were infected, most of them young children.
• 2006 — Cadbury Chocolate Recall: Cadbury recalled chocolate products in the UK after a Salmonella outbreak was traced to a contaminated production line.

The pattern across these incidents is consistent: even a small amount of contamination upstream in the supply chain can result in widespread illness once chocolate has been distributed to consumers.

How Many People Have Gotten Sick?

No confirmed illnesses have been linked to the Spring & Mulberry chocolate bars to date, according to the FDA and the company.

However, Salmonella illnesses are widely under-reported. The CDC has estimated that only a small fraction of Salmonella cases are officially confirmed, because many people who get sick do not seek medical care or are never tested.

What Should I Do?

Spring & Mulberry is urging consumers not to eat the recalled chocolate bars. To get a refund, the company asks consumers to take a photo of the product packaging showing the batch code and email it to recalls@springandmulberry.com, then dispose of the chocolate.

Consumers who believe they got sick after eating any of the recalled Spring & Mulberry products can contact our lawyers for a free case review. Time limits apply to Salmonella food poisoning claims, and acting quickly preserves evidence and increases the chance of a successful case.

For updates, visit the FDA recall notice and the Spring & Mulberry recall page.

Do I Have a Chocolate Salmonella Lawsuit?

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting chocolate Salmonella food poisoning cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know got sick after eating chocolate bars that were recalled for Salmonella contamination, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Food Poisoning Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

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