Trader Joe’s, Ralphs and others have recalled some frozen food products amid concerns they may be contaminated with glass.
The recalls come weeks after Monrovia-based Trader Joe’s recalled batches of its private-label chicken fried rice with best-by dates between Sept. 8 and Nov. 17 due to glass.
Trader Joe’s on Tuesday expanded the recalls to include vegetable fried rice with best-by dates between Feb. 28 and Nov. 19; Japanese-style fried rice with best-by dates between Feb. 28 and Nov. 14 and chicken shu mai with best-by dates between March 13 and Oct. 23. More batches of chicken fried rice have been added to the recall: look for best by-dates between March 4 and Feb. 10, 2027.
“At Trader Joe’s, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our customers and Crew Members,” company spokesperson Nakia Rohde said in an emailed statement. “With this in mind, we do the daily work to make certain our products meet our stringent food safety expectations. We don’t take any chances when it comes to product safety and quality.”
The grocer recommends that customers throw affected products away or return them to a store for a full refund.
Ajinomoto Foods North America, which manufactures Trader Joe’s private-label fried rice and shu mai, said there have been no injuries or adverse reactions related to the recalled products to date.
It expanded its voluntary recall “out of an abundance of caution,” company spokesperson Sara Guindi said in an email.
“The problem was discovered when the establishment notified FSIS that it received multiple consumer complaints ,” the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a statement Wednesday. “Upon further investigation, the establishment determined that a vegetable source ingredient, specifically carrots, was the likely source of the glass contamination, which also impacted the additional products subject to this expanded recall.”
In total, Ajinomoto is recalling nearly 37 million pounds of food sold under the Kroger, Ling Ling, Tai Pei and Trader Joe’s labels, as well as under its house Ajinomoto brand, according to the statement.
The affected products, some of which were exported to Canada and Mexico, have best-by dates ranging from Feb. 28 through Aug. 19, 2027. A full product list can be found on the USDA website. In addition to Ajinomoto’s fried rice and dumplings, the recalls also include frozen ramen, which is not sold at Trader Joe’s.
Aijinomoto is best known as the pioneer of monosodium glutamate seasoning.
Trader Joe’s and German discount supermarket chain Aldi each recalled 10 products in 2025, while Amazon-owned organic grocery chain Whole Foods recalled 16 products.
Costco and Ralphs have also issued recall alerts tied to Ajinomoto’s fried rice products. Costco members who purchased boxes of Ajinomoto’s “yakitori chicken with Japanese-style fried rice” with best-by dates between Nov. 8, 2025, and Jan. 12, 2027, and Ralphs customers who bought Kroger brand chicken or vegetable rice between March 10, 2025, and March 4, 2026, are advised to discard the products or return them for a refund.
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