Over 4 million tubes of toothpaste have been recalled, including several kids brands

More than 4.3 million tubes of fluoride toothpaste — many of them kid-themed, in flavors like bubble gum, strawberry and watermelon — have been voluntarily recalled nationwide after the Food and Drug Administration flagged manufacturing problems at the facility that made them. The recall covers several brands sold under licensed character names, along with a handful of lesser-known labels, and includes tubes with expiration dates stretching into mid-2028, meaning some of the affected toothpaste could be sitting in your medicine cabinet right now. No illnesses or injuries have been reported. Still, the FDA says families should check lot numbers and expiration dates to see whether their toothpaste is part of the recall.

Below, I break down exactly which products are affected, how to tell if you have one and what to do next. Why were more than 4 million tubes of toothpaste recalled? The FDA announced the recall of more than 4.3 million tubes of fluoride toothpaste distributed nationwide because of current good manufacturing practice deviations. Those are federal standards meant to ensure products are made consistently and safely, so a deviation means the manufacturing process didn’t meet requirements, not necessarily that the toothpaste itself is harmful. The voluntary recall was initiated on September 10 by Pritam International Private Limited, an India-based manufacturer, and the FDA classified it as Class