Frozen Spinach Bites Recalled Over Possible Rodent Hair Contamination

Aldi frozen spinach bites recalled due to potential contamination, as FDA warns consumers to avoid eating affected products.

Kelly McBride Ni

Published: 3/19/2026, 4:30:59 AM EDT

Frozen Spinach Bites Recalled Over Possible Rodent Hair Contamination — Customers walk into an Aldi supermarket in Bensalem, Pa., on March 14, 2022. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a recall of frozen spinach bites sold under the Simply Nature brand due to potential rodent hair contamination.

“This product has the possibility of contamination with rodent hair,” states the reason for recall. Consumers should not eat the product. The recall affects about 7,894 units distributed in Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Simply Nature is an Aldi-exclusive store brand in the United States. The recalling firm is Dr. Praeger’s Sensible Foods Inc., based in Elmwood Park, New Jersey.

The recall is for 12-ounce boxes of Simply Nature Spinach Bites, lot number G25CF-02B with UPC 4099100247992, the FDA said in a recall notice on Monday.

The recall was done voluntarily by the firm.

The affected products are packaged in plastic-wrapped bites inside retail boxes marked “Keep Frozen” and were distributed through Aldi locations in the two states.

A Class II recall was assigned to the case on March 16. The recall was first initiated Jan. 16, 2026, and remains ongoing, according to the FDA.

According to the FDA, a Class II recall is issued when the use of a product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health effects, with a low probability of serious consequences.

The FDA allows small amounts of mold, insects, and rodent hair in food, with limits for each item. For example, peanut butter can have an average of one rodent hair and more than 30 insect fragments per 100 grams.

Chocolate can contain over 60 insect fragments per 100 grams, and cinnamon can have up to 400 insect fragments per 50 grams, according to the FDA Food Defect Levels Handbook, which lists allowed maximums for over 100 food items.

For processed foods like the recalled frozen Simply Nature Spinach Bites, the FDA reviews processed foods not on its list on a case-by-case basis. Rodent hair in food also raises questions about the conditions under which the food is processed.

"Food products that have been exposed to filth, like rats, mice and other rodents, can make you or your family members sick. This includes food and drinks for people as well as food for animals, like pet food, bird seed or fish flakes," states the FDA.

The FDA says to throw away any food in plastic or paper containers that has been exposed to filth.

The CDC says foodborne illnesses sicken about 48 million Americans each year, leading to 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.

In a separate recall in December 2025, Gold Star Distribution Inc. recalled thousands of products after the FDA found its Minneapolis facility infested with rodents, birds, and insects. Inspectors said food, supplements, cosmetics, and pet food were kept in unsanitary conditions, posing a risk of contamination from droppings and waste.