Trader Joe's Recalls 36M Pounds
Trader Joe's just recalled over 36 million pounds of ready-to-eat and frozen chicken and pork fried rice, ramen, and shu mai dumplings due to glass contamination. This is one of the largest recalls in recent years and affects products nationwide. The USDA confirmed glass fragments were found in chicken fried rice and related products, putting consumer health at serious risk.
The recall extends beyond Trader Joe's, affecting multiple brands produced by Ajinomoto Foods North America. Consumers should also check their freezers for recalled products sold under the Kroger, Ling Ling, and Tai Pei labels. An investigation traced the likely source of the glass fragments to a vegetable ingredient: carrots. The discovery was made after the manufacturer, Ajinomoto, received several consumer complaints about finding glass in the food. This massive recall is an expansion of a smaller one initiated in February, which involved about 3.4 million pounds of chicken fried rice. The expanded action now covers products manufactured over a 16-month period, from October 2024 to February 2026. The recall encompasses a wide range of products with "best by" dates extending from February 2026 all the way to August 2027, prompting the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service to express concern that consumers may still have these items in their freezers. Despite the large volume of recalled products and the nature of the contamination, there have been no confirmed reports of injuries or adverse reactions related to the consumption of these items. The affected items were distributed nationwide, and some of the Ajinomoto-branded products were also exported to Canada and Mexico. Retailers beyond Trader Joe's, including Costco and Ralphs, have also issued alerts for related Ajinomoto products they carried.
