Wawa recalls Iced Tea Lemon, Diet Lemonade and Fruit Punch over possible undeclared milk allergen

MEDIA, PA (April 3, 2026) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a voluntary recall issued by Wawa, Inc. of Media, Pennsylvania, covering four varieties of its 16 oz branded bottled beverages due to a possible undeclared milk allergen. According to the FDA, the company is recalling its Wawa Iced Tea Lemon, Wawa Iced Tea Diet Lemon, Wawa Diet Lemonade, and Wawa Fruit Punch because a temporary equipment issue may have introduced milk into products that do not list it as an ingredient. The agency confirmed that people with milk allergies face the risk of a serious or life threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.

Wawa recall: Quick summary

Wawa announced a voluntary recall on April 3, 2026, after identifying and correcting a temporary equipment issue at the Wawa Beverage Company production facility that may have resulted in the presence of an undeclared milk allergen in four of its 16 oz bottled beverages. The affected products were distributed to a total of 196 Wawa store locations across Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. All impacted products have already been removed from store shelves and disposed of. No illnesses have been reported to date. Consumers who purchased any of the four affected beverages are urged to dispose of them immediately and contact Wawa for a refund in the form of a Wawa Gift Card.

What happened?

The FDA said Wawa initiated the voluntary recall on April 3, 2026, after identifying a temporary equipment issue at the Wawa Beverage Company that may have introduced milk into four of its bottled beverages — none of which list milk as an ingredient. The company identified and corrected the equipment issue and moved immediately to initiate a recall and remove the affected products from store shelves.

According to the recall notice, Wawa conducted an internal review that confirmed the issue was limited to the four specific products and lot codes listed, distributed across a defined set of store locations in five states. The company stated that all affected products have already been removed from sale and disposed of by the impacted stores, and that no other Wawa stores or Wawa branded beverages are included in the recall.

In its recall notice, Wawa stated:

“The recall was initiated after Wawa identified and corrected a temporary equipment issue that may have resulted in the presence of an undeclared milk allergen in these products.”

The FDA confirmed that no illnesses have been reported in connection with this recall.

Affected products

Brand	Product	Size	UPC	Code date	Issue	Affected stores
Wawa	Iced Tea Lemon	16 oz pint	726191018425	MAY 15, 2026	Possible undeclared milk	123 stores in DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA
Wawa	Iced Tea Diet Lemon	16 oz pint	726191018548	MAY 18, 2026	Possible undeclared milk	8 stores in NJ, PA
Wawa	Diet Lemonade	16 oz pint	726191055901	MAY 18, 2026	Possible undeclared milk	12 stores in DE, NJ
Wawa	Fruit Punch	16 oz pint	726191018432	MAY 19, 2026	Possible undeclared milk	53 stores in DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA

What caused the issue?

The recall stems from a temporary equipment issue at the Wawa Beverage Company production facility rather than a labeling or ingredient sourcing failure. Wawa’s internal review determined that the equipment malfunction may have introduced milk — a major food allergen — into four beverages that are not formulated to contain milk and do not list it as an ingredient. The company identified and corrected the issue before initiating the recall.

Under federal food labeling law, milk is one of the nine major food allergens that must be declared on product packaging. Because the affected beverages — iced tea, diet iced tea, diet lemonade, and fruit punch — are not milk products and carry no milk declaration on their labels, any consumer with a milk allergy would have had no reason to suspect the products posed a risk.

The FDA confirmed the recall covers a defined set of code dates, all with expiration dates falling in May 2026, and is limited to 16 oz pint bottles distributed to 196 specific store locations across five states. The agency also confirmed that no other Wawa beverages are included in the recall, and no Wawa stores outside Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia are affected.

Milk allergies can cause a range of reactions depending on sensitivity, from mild symptoms such as hives, stomach cramps, and nausea, to severe anaphylaxis in people with serious dairy allergies. Children and adults with known milk allergies, as well as people who are lactose intolerant and may not expect symptoms from an allergen exposure in a non-dairy beverage, are among the populations most likely to be affected by this type of undeclared contamination.

Questions you might have

1. Which Wawa beverages are included in this recall? Four 16 oz pint beverages are included: Wawa Iced Tea Lemon (UPC 726191018425, code date MAY 15, 2026), Wawa Iced Tea Diet Lemon (UPC 726191018548, code date MAY 18, 2026), Wawa Diet Lemonade (UPC 726191055901, code date MAY 18, 2026), and Wawa Fruit Punch (UPC 726191018432, code date MAY 19, 2026). No other Wawa beverages are included.
2. How do I identify if my bottle is affected? Check the UPC code and the code date printed on the top of the bottle cap. If the UPC and code date match any of the four products listed in the recall and you purchased the beverage at a Wawa location in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, or Virginia, the product is covered by this recall. A full list of affected store addresses is available at wawa.com/product-recalls.
3. What caused milk to end up in iced tea and fruit punch? Wawa identified a temporary equipment issue at the Wawa Beverage Company production facility as the cause. The malfunction may have resulted in milk being introduced into beverages during production. The company has since corrected the equipment issue and confirmed the problem was limited to the specific code dates listed in the recall.
4. Are the products still on store shelves? No. Wawa stated that all affected products have been removed from sale and disposed of by the impacted stores. If you still have one of the affected bottles at home, dispose of it immediately.
5. What should I do if I already consumed one of these beverages? If you consumed one of the recalled beverages and do not have a milk allergy, there is no indication of a health risk. If you have a milk allergy or sensitivity and consumed one of the affected products, monitor yourself for symptoms such as hives, swelling, stomach cramps, vomiting, or difficulty breathing. If you experience any of these, contact a healthcare provider promptly. In the case of a severe reaction, call 911 immediately.
6. What are the symptoms of a milk allergic reaction? Reactions can range from mild to severe. Mild symptoms include hives, skin redness, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Severe reactions can include swelling of the lips or throat, wheezing, difficulty breathing, and anaphylaxis — a full body response that is a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment with epinephrine. Anyone experiencing severe symptoms after consuming the recalled product should call 911.
7. How do I get a refund? Consumers can contact Wawa’s 24 hour Customer Contact Center at 1-800-444-9292 or submit a request online at wawa.com/iframe/contact. Refunds will be issued in the form of a Wawa Gift Card. No receipt is required to request a refund for recalled products.
8. Does this recall affect fountain drinks or larger bottle sizes? No. The recall is limited specifically to 16 oz pint bottles of the four affected beverages. Fountain beverages, 32 oz bottles, and other Wawa branded drinks are not included in this recall.
9. Is this a voluntary recall or was it ordered by the FDA? This is a voluntary recall initiated by Wawa after its own internal review identified the equipment issue. It is being conducted with the knowledge and oversight of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
10. Which states and stores are affected? The recall affects 196 Wawa store locations across Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. Wawa stores in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Washington, D.C. — other states where Wawa operates — are not included. For a full list of affected store addresses, visit wawa.com/product-recalls.

Here’s what you should do

• What to do with the product: Dispose of it immediately. Do not consume it if you have a milk allergy.
• Where to look on the label: Check the UPC code on the bottle and the code date printed on the top of the bottle cap.
• How to identify the affected product: Match the UPC and code date to the four products listed in the recall table above. All affected products are 16 oz pint bottles sold at Wawa locations in PA, DE, MD, NJ, and VA.
• Brand contact details: Wawa 24 hour Customer Contact Center — 1-800-444-9292 or wawa.com/iframe/contact. Refunds are issued as Wawa Gift Cards.

Behind the brand

Wawa, Inc. is a privately held convenience store and gas station chain headquartered in Media, Pennsylvania, with roots dating back to 1803 as an iron foundry and later a dairy farm. The company opened its first convenience store in 1964 and has since grown into one of the largest convenience store chains on the East Coast, operating more than 1,000 locations across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Washington, D.C. Wawa is employee owned and is widely known for its made-to-order hoagies, fresh beverages, and fueling services. The Wawa Beverage Company produces a range of branded bottled drinks sold exclusively at Wawa stores.

Source86 reached out to Wawa for additional comment on the specific nature of the equipment issue and how the milk contamination was identified, but has not yet received a response beyond the company’s published recall notice.

Other relevant recalls

Equipment-related contamination leading to undeclared allergens in beverages is an uncommon but not unprecedented recall category. More typical are labeling failures, and recent months have seen a steady stream of these across the food and beverage industry. In March 2026, Blueroot Health recalled two lots of Vital Nutrients Aller-C dietary supplements after routine testing found undeclared egg, hazelnut, and soy — allergens absent from the product label. That same month, Schreiber Foods recalled 144 cases of Einstein Bros Bagels Honey Almond Cream Cheese Spread distributed through Einstein Bros locations in four states, after a packaging staging error placed almond containing cream cheese in cups labeled as plain. The Mama Grande Tortilla Factory recall in March 2026 covered two sweet pastry products that were distributed to Texas retailers without declaring the presence of wheat and soy. In December 2025, White Castle Frozen Food Division recalled its Original Sliders for undeclared milk and soy — the same primary allergen at issue in the Wawa recall. And in November 2025, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream recalled its Passion Fruit Dreamsicle Ice Cream Bars for undeclared wheat and soy. Each of these cases underscores that undeclared allergens continue to reach consumers through a variety of failure modes, from equipment malfunctions to packaging errors and labeling oversights.

A food safety engineer noted the particular challenge that production equipment failures present:

“When contamination comes from an equipment issue rather than a labeling error, it can be harder to catch early. Products that look correct on the label and on paper may still carry a risk if a cross contact event occurred during manufacturing. That is why production verification matters as much as label review.”

A beverage industry quality assurance specialist added:

“Milk can be introduced in shared production environments in ways that are not always obvious — residue in a shared line, a valve malfunction, or a cleaning protocol that was not fully completed. The fact that Wawa caught and corrected this internally is exactly what a robust monitoring program is designed to do.”

Eran Mizrahi, CEO of Source86, said the Wawa recall is a reminder that allergen risk does not always originate from ingredients or labeling alone:

“Food safety isn’t just about compliance; it’s about trust. Every recall reminds us how vital it is to maintain transparency, rigorous checks, and supplier accountability — and that includes verifying production equipment integrity at every stage of the process.”

Ensuring safe eats

The Wawa recall is a clear reminder that undeclared allergens can enter a product through means entirely unrelated to its formulation or label — including equipment malfunctions during production. For the millions of Americans living with milk allergies, consuming an iced tea or fruit punch that unknowingly contains milk is not just an inconvenience; it is a genuine health risk. The fact that Wawa identified and corrected the equipment issue quickly, removed all affected products from store shelves proactively, and issued a prompt recall reflects the kind of responsive food safety culture regulators and consumers expect from a major food and beverage brand.

If you purchased any of the four affected 16 oz Wawa beverages at a Wawa location in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, or Virginia, check the UPC and code date on the bottle cap. If it matches the recalled products, dispose of it immediately — and contact Wawa at 1-800-444-9292 or wawa.com/iframe/contact for a refund.

At Source86, we help food brands manage ingredient sourcing, FSQA oversight, and private label production with transparency and precision — ensuring that when recalls happen, supply chains are prepared to respond quickly. Our team works directly with manufacturers to implement the allergen controls and production verification protocols that prevent incidents like this from reaching consumers in the first place. Reach out to learn how Source86 can support your brand’s food safety program.