FDA Issues First-Ever Mandatory Recall for Kratom Products

Soon after classifying kratom as an opioid, the FDA has issued a mandatory recall for all of a Las Vegas company’s products made with the substance.

The FDA says this is the first time it issued a mandatory recall in response to a company ignoring a request for a voluntary recall. The agency said the current recall is only in response to concerns about a pathogen rather than a position on its legality.

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said the agency based its decision on risks posed by the products’ potential contamination with salmonella.