Class I · Recall · initiated January 23, 2026 · Ongoing
Navitas Organics recalls 114,432 bags of organic chia seeds in 26 states for Salmonella
A San Rafael, California brand recalled 114,432 eight-ounce bags of Navitas Organics Organic Chia Seeds, labeled product of Mexico, Argentina and Paraguay, for potential Salmonella contamination across 26 states; the recall remains ongoing.
The record
- Firm
- Navitas, LLC., San Rafael, CA
- Product
- NAVITAS ORGANICS ORGANIC CHIA SEEDS NET WT 8 OZ (227g) INGREDIENTS: CERTIFIED ORGANIC CHIA SEED (SALVIA HISPANICA). Product of Mexico/Argentina/Paraguay. Distributed by Navitas Organics Novato, CA USA 94949 UPC: 858847000284
- Reason, as filed
- “Potential contamination with Salmonella.”
- Classification
- Class I (Class I: reasonable probability of serious health consequences or death)
- Recall number
- H-0533-2026
- Initiated
- January 23, 2026
- Posted by FDA
- March 4, 2026
- Status
- Ongoing · Voluntary: Firm initiated
- Quantity
- 114,432 units (9,536 cases ; 12 units/case)
- Distribution
- U.S. Distribution: CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VT, WA, WI. Foreign Distribution: None
Verify: search any recall number above in FDA's enforcement report database.
Why it happened, in plain English
The filed reason is “potential contamination with Salmonella.” The record does not say whether the seeds tested positive or whether this was a precautionary pull tied to a supplier notice. Chia is a raw, low-moisture seed, usually eaten without cooking, sprinkled on yogurt or soaked in liquid. That eating pattern is why Salmonella in a seed is Class I: there is no consumer kill step.
The label says “product of Mexico/Argentina/Paraguay,” which tells you the brand blends or alternates origins. A single bag could carry seed from any of the three, and the record does not narrow it. Volume is 9,536 cases, 12 units per case, across 26 states, and the recall was still ongoing when the report posted. For a seed that a brand does not process beyond cleaning and packing, the acceptance test on the incoming lot is the only control the brand owns.
Who else should care
Brands that repack raw seeds and nuts under their own label: chia, flax, hemp, sesame, pumpkin. Multi-origin sourcing is normal in this category, and it multiplies the number of supplier lots behind one retail SKU.
Also greens-powder and smoothie-mix makers who use chia as an ingredient. If you bought bulk chia from these origins in late 2025, the record does not tell you whether your lot overlaps, so you have to ask your supplier. Check: whether each incoming seed lot has a Salmonella result from your own or a third-party lab before it is packed or blended.
Written 2026-09-08. Analysis is editorial; the record above is FDA's.