In the past three-and-a-half months, there have been three major food recalls of products, encompassing several items, sold in Trader Joe’s, according to the U.S. Food & Drug Association (FDA), though one would later be rescinded.
There was also another recall involving meat and poultry products in October, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
Newsweek has contacted the press office of Trader Joe’s via email for comment.
Trader Joe’s is a nationwide chain, used by 18 percent of grocery store consumers in the U.S, according to Statista. Some of the grocery store’s products were recalled due to possible contamination of bacteria like Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli (E. coli), which can cause serious infections.
Carrots
On November 16, 2024, Grimmway Farms recalled some of its organic whole and baby carrots, affecting 19 brands across the U.S, Puerto Rico and Canada, including Trader Joe’s.
The carrots were recalled on the basis they may have been contaminated with E. coli, a bacteria that can cause serious, and in some cases fatal, infections in young children, elderly people and those with a weakened immune system.
Some infections can also cause severe bloody diarrhea conditions, such as a hemolytic uremic syndrome, or the development of high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, and neurologic problems.
There was an outbreak of E. coli infections linked to organic whole and baby carrots supplied by Grimmway Farms, according to the FDA.
After the FDA and Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) investigated the multistate outbreak of E. coli infections, it was found that there was a total of 48 illnesses in 19 states and one reported death.
Of 47 people with information available, the report said that 20 were hospitalized and one developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can cause kidney failure.
According to CDC, the outbreak was over as of December 18, 2024,
Grimmway Farms told Newsweek in a statement: “The FDA issued an update last month stating that the outbreak has ended and the closure of FDA’s investigation. No product ever tested positive and, despite extensive swabbing during inspection, no positive results related to the outbreak strain were found at the facility.”
Waffles
On October 22, 2024, the company TreeHouse Foods announced the expansion of a recall of its products to include the frozen toaster waffle, Belgian waffle and pancake products, affecting three Trader Joe’s products: the Blueberry waffles, the Gluten-Free Toaster Waffles and the Pumpkin Waffles.
The waffles were recalled due to potential contamination with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, a type of bacteria that can cause a serious infection known as listeriosis. It is commonly found in contaminated food, particularly in raw or unpasteurized dairy products, deli meats, and some processed foods.
TreeHouse Foods told Newsweek in a statement: “We have no confirmed reports of illness or injury linked to the recalled products. As of January 2025, the Brantford facility has undergone a hygienic restoration and is once again producing griddle products for our customers.”
Listeria infection is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the U.S., with about 1,600 infections and 260 deaths across the country every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The specific states affected by the recall were not mentioned on the FDA’s press release.
Meat and Poultry
On October 9, 2024, BrucePac, an Oklahoma establishment, recalled approximately 11 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products that were believed to have potentially been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced.
The nationwide recall affected Trader Joe’s products including the White Meat Chicken Salad, Harvest Salad With Grilled Chicken, Pacific Salad With Chicken, Chicken Enchiladas Verde and Curried White Chicken Deli Salad.
Newsweek has contacted BrucePac out of hours via email for comment.
Green Onions
On October 18, 2024, Trader Joe’s, along with three other brands, recalled green onions that came from Church Brothers Farms, because they were potentially contaminated with Salmonella, according to the FDA.
However, on November 25, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced that a laboratory error incorrectly caused the recall concerning Church Brothers Farms’ Green Onions.
It was confirmed that the products from Church Brothers did not contain Salmonella and the recall was rescinded.
Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious, and sometimes fatal, infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. A healthy person infected with Salmonella may experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
In total, 1,271 cases of green onions were recalled.
States initially affected by the update included Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia.
Newsweek has contacted Church Brothers Farm out of hours via email for comment.
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