When you hear about problems cropping up in the food manufacturing process, this doesn't seem to be a common one.
Food products can be pulled from store shelves for a wide range of reasons in the U.S., including bacterial concerns (such as E. coli or Salmonella), undeclared food allergens, or the presence of a foreign material. But some recalls land outside the usual perimeters, such as the unusual “potential chemical contamination” linked to one recent recall of green beans.
According to January 7 details from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), San Juan Bautista, CA’s Triple B Corporation voluntarily recalled 137 cases of green beans—further described as Coke Farm Beans, Green—due to “potential chemical contamination” in October 2025. According to the Coke Farm company website, it is “an organic grower/shipper/handler” also based in San Juan Bautista, CA.
The beans were reportedly distributed in four states: California, Minnesota, New York, and Rhode Island. On January 6, the FDA upgraded the recall to a Class III event, meaning the agency has now concluded that it’s “a situation in which use of or exposure to a violative product is not likely to cause adverse health consequences.”
In a posted October 2025 letter to customers, Coke Farm further explained that “raw agricultural commodities” packaged in a Coke Farm “broccoli box” were affected because “The red ink used on the Coke Farm label ‘is considered as indirect (incidental) FDA certified’ and meets all requirements to be on secondary surfaces (outside) of food grade boxes, however, it is not Food Grade, and shall not come into contact with product.” The letter also included package photos.
In an online document titled “Hazard Identification of Printing Ink Substances Used on the Exterior of Food Packaging,” the FDA notes that “new data indicates that, for some intended uses, photoinitiators [molecules in UV-cured printing inks used on the exterior of food packaging] applied to the exterior of food packaging may migrate to food.”
The following details were provided by the FDA:
- Coke Farm Beans, Green
- 25 lb.
- Lot: 286.1831
- Product of USA Coke Farm, San Juan Bautista, CA 95045
The Healthy reached out to Coke Farm for further details, but has not received a response as of press time.
For daily wellness updates, subscribe to The Healthy newsletter and follow The Healthy on Facebook and Instagram. Keep reading:
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