The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an urgent warning to parents across America: do not buy or serve Once Upon a Farm Tractor Wheels, Organic Toddler Soft-Baked Bars. The Once Upon a Farm recall follows several reports of toddlers choking on the snack, with some children suffering complete airway obstruction and an inability to breathe. The Berkeley, California, company has now launched a voluntary recall of the product and promised a reformulation, saying it acted after three consumer complaints.
The FDA published its advisory on October 30, 2026, telling consumers in plain terms that they should not buy or serve the product and should immediately throw it away. Retailers were told not to sell it. The advisory covers Once Upon a Farm Tractor Wheels, Organic Toddler Soft-Baked Bars in every flavor, quantity and variety, including every lot code and expiration date. That breadth matters: parents cannot check a single lot number and keep the rest of the box. If the product in the pantry is Tractor Wheels, the FDA advice applies to it.
The risk described by the agency is unusually stark. The FDA said it had received several reports describing toddlers aged 1.5 to 2.5 years suffering complete airway obstruction with the inability to breathe after consuming the product. When chewed, the product reportedly forms a dry, sticky mass that standard choking interventions, including back blows and the Heimlich maneuver, may fail to dislodge. Some of the reported incidents required emergency response intervention and hospital observation. The FDA also advised families to call 911 in the event that someone is choking and other first aid measures to dislodge the obstruction have failed, and said consumers who have symptoms should contact their health care provider.
On the same day, Once Upon a Farm announced that it was initiating a voluntary recall of its Tractor Wheels soft-baked bars. The company, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker OFRM, said the decision was based on three consumer complaints and that it was working with the FDA to make sure affected products are removed and families have the information they need. The company also said it would reformulate the product, a step that signals the bars will not simply return to shelves in their current form.
Tractor Wheels are soft-baked bars marketed as organic toddler snacks, sold in three varieties: Apple, Sweet Potato and Spinach; Strawberry, Pumpkin and Beet; and Banana, Pumpkin and Cauliflower. They are part of a fast-growing category of packaged foods for babies and toddlers, sold on the promise of simple, real ingredients with no added sugar, no artificial flavors and no artificial colors. Once Upon a Farm describes itself as redefining the organic kids' food category, offering snacks and meals for children from babies through big kids, and its products are widely stocked in major American retailers.
The recall's distribution list underlines how many households could be affected. The company said Tractor Wheels were distributed nationwide via the internet and to distribution centers and retail stores in 48 states and territories, from Alabama and Alaska's neighboring markets to California, Texas, Florida, New York and Puerto Rico. The FDA named Costco, Target and Walmart among the stores selling the product, and noted it may also have been sold through Amazon.com and other third-party vendors. In practice, that means the bars reached family shopping baskets through almost every major American grocery and big-box channel.
The warning also lands in a busy season for food safety news. In recent days, American shoppers have seen a string of recalls and warnings affecting pantry staples, supplements and pet food, and regulators have stepped up scrutiny of foods aimed at the youngest children. Earlier in October, the FDA proposed its first cadmium limits for baby purees, yogurts and infant cereals, while noting that snack foods such as puffs and teething crackers were not covered by that draft guidance. The Tractor Wheels case is different: it is not about a contaminant found in testing, but about the physical behaviour of the food itself when a toddler chews it.
Parents checking their cupboards should look for the name Tractor Wheels on Once Upon a Farm soft-baked bars, in any of the three flavors. The recall is not limited to one batch, one flavor or one store. The FDA advice applies to all flavors, quantities and varieties, including all lot codes and expiration dates. The company's own recall notice gives the same instruction in different words: consumers who have purchased Tractor Wheels should not open the package or use the contents, and should instead return the product to the location of purchase for a full refund or contact care@uponafarm.com.
That distinction between the two messages is worth noting. The FDA, speaking to consumers, says to throw the product away immediately. The company, speaking to customers seeking refunds, says to return it unopened to the store where it was bought. Families who already have an opened box should follow the FDA advice and discard it rather than keeping it for a return. Families with an unopened package can take it back for a refund. Either way, the bars should not be served to a toddler, donated, or passed on to another family.
Parents should also check snack bags packed for daycare, grandparents' houses, and car journeys, where a single bar can easily be forgotten. Because the bars were sold nationwide and online, a box bought months ago and stored in a pantry is covered just as much as one bought this week. If the packaging says Tractor Wheels and Once Upon a Farm, treat it as recalled.
Once Upon a Farm struck a contrite tone in its announcement. "We acted out of an abundance of caution, in the best interest of our customers and our commitment to quality," the company said. "We are working with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to make sure affected products are removed and families have the information they need." The company added: "We know that parents place their trust in us every time they buy one of our products. We fell short of that, and that is why we are taking these aggressive actions."
The company was explicit that the problem is confined to one product line. "No other Once Upon a Farm products are impacted by this recall," it said. That assurance matters for parents who buy the brand's pouches, meals and other snacks, but it does not soften the advice on Tractor Wheels themselves.
The FDA, for its part, kept its language short and direct. "Consumers should not buy or serve Once Upon a Farm Tractor Wheels, Organic Toddler Soft-Baked Bars due to a potentially fatal choking hazard," the agency said at the top of its advisory. It added that it had informed the firm of reports of adverse events and that the firm had agreed to initiate a recall, and promised to continue updating the advisory as information becomes available. The agency did not publish a count of injuries beyond "several reports," and the company cited three consumer complaints as the basis for its decision.
Choking is one of the most feared hazards for parents of toddlers, precisely because it can escalate in seconds and because the standard responses do not always work. The FDA's warning is notable for saying so explicitly: the chewed product can form a dry, sticky mass that back blows and the Heimlich maneuver may fail to dislodge. That detail changes the advice from a routine "check the lot number" recall into an urgent "remove it from the house" warning, and it explains why the agency covered every lot and expiration date rather than a narrow batch.
The case also raises a wider question for the toddler snack industry. Soft-baked bars, puffs and meltable snacks are designed to be easy for small children to eat, but "soft" on the packet does not always mean safe in a toddler's mouth, especially when saliva changes the texture of the food. Regulators, manufacturers and parents all rely on age recommendations and texture claims, and this recall shows how quickly those assumptions can be tested by real-world reports. The company's promise to reformulate Tractor Wheels, rather than simply reissuing the same bar, acknowledges that the product itself, not just one production run, needs to change.
For families, the timing adds to the pressure. With Halloween weekend under way and holiday travel approaching, snack bars are exactly the kind of portable food parents pack for outings, parties and long car rides. A nationwide recall of a popular organic toddler snack, sold at the country's biggest retailers, is likely to prompt many parents to check not only their own pantries but also what nurseries and relatives are serving.
The immediate next steps are practical. Retailers have been told not to sell Tractor Wheels, and the company is working with the FDA to remove affected products from shelves and online listings. Parents can return unopened packages for a full refund or contact the company at care@uponafarm.com. The FDA said it will continue to update its advisory as information becomes available, which could include further detail on the reported incidents or on the reformulated product.
Longer term, attention will turn to the reformulation. Once Upon a Farm has not yet described what will change in the recipe or texture, or when a new version might reach stores. Parents should not assume that a Tractor Wheels bar bought after the recall announcement is safe unless the company and the FDA confirm that a reformulated product is on sale. Until then, the safest course is to treat every Tractor Wheels bar currently in circulation as covered by the recall.
Families who believe a child has had a choking incident linked to the product can report it to the FDA through its Industry and Consumer Assistance channels, and should seek medical care if a child has symptoms. Reporting matters: recalls like this one began with a small number of consumer complaints, and each additional report helps regulators judge whether the hazard is fully understood.
Which product is recalled? Once Upon a Farm Tractor Wheels, Organic Toddler Soft-Baked Bars, in all three flavors, all quantities, all lot codes and all expiration dates.
What should I do if I have Tractor Wheels at home? Do not serve them to a toddler. The FDA says to throw them away immediately; the company says unopened packages can be returned to the place of purchase for a full refund.
Are other Once Upon a Farm products affected? No. The company says no other Once Upon a Farm products are impacted by this recall.
Where were Tractor Wheels sold? Nationwide online and at stores including Costco, Target and Walmart, as well as Amazon.com and other third-party vendors, across 48 states and territories including Puerto Rico.
How do I get a refund or more information? Return the product to the location of purchase for a full refund, or contact the company at care@uponafarm.com. The FDA says it will update its advisory as more information becomes available.
Related coverage on US News Pulse: the Wise Wife cinnamon recall over lead in 14 states, the Whole Foods ashwagandha recall over Salmonella risk, and the Darwin's cat food Salmonella alert.
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