Wakefern Food Corp. has recalled 23-ounce jars of its Wholesome Pantry Organic Unsweetened Apple Sauce after FDA testing found patulin levels above federal food-safety limits in the private-label product.

The cooperative, which supplies ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Gourmet Garage and Fairway Market, is pulling a single stock-keeping unit from shelves across all five banners. No illnesses or injuries tied to the product have been reported, and the FDA caught the issue through routine monitoring of the food supply rather than a consumer complaint or outbreak signal.

What is patulin and how did it end up in the jar?

The recall announcement describes patulin as "a naturally occurring substance produced by molds that grow on damaged or bruised apples and may be present in products made from affected fruit." In plain terms, moldy or damaged fruit slipping past inspection carries the compound into pressed juice and puréed products like applesauce. The FDA caps patulin concentration in food because of "potential health concerns associated with elevated exposure over time," and the Wakefern recall does not specify by how much the affected lot ran over the federal limit.

The cooperative has also not named the apple processor that supplied the affected fruit, leaving the supply-chain trace at the cooperative's own statement.

Which jars are in scope?

The recall covers a single SKU, and shoppers should match four identifiers before returning or disposing of the product:

• Product name: Wholesome Pantry Organic Unsweetened Apple Sauce
• Container: 23-ounce plastic jar
• UPC code: 04119005677
• Best-by date: June 16, 2027

No other Wholesome Pantry items are part of the recall, and no other private-label or branded goods sold at any of the five Wakefern banners are affected. Consumers holding a matching jar should return it to the store of purchase rather than consume it, per the cooperative's recall notice.

What does this change for the cooperative and its member stores?

Wakefern operates as a retailer-owned cooperative, so the recall sits with the cooperative rather than a single franchisee or operating company. Member stores absorb the refund and shrink cost directly through their cost of goods line, and the exposure here stays limited to one SKU on the Wholesome Pantry store-brand line. Even so, recalls of single private-label SKUs typically trigger wider member-store labor for shelf pulls, point-of-sale signage, and customer-service handling on top of the direct product write-off.

Wakefern has not said when it expects to resume distribution of the affected applesauce, and the FDA has not announced further enforcement action tied to the lot. The cooperative's resumption date for the SKU will be the next concrete fact to surface, and member stores will read it as a signal of how the supplier audit plays out.