On Wednesday, I had the privilege of working from home. This essentially means I put on my best sweatpants and ate handfuls of Trader Joe’s pita chips and hummus in the middle of the day. Although Sabra recalled their hummus due to listeria concerns, I assumed I was safe to consume my Trader Joe’s brand listeria-free. I was wrong. RIP to me.
As of December 1, Trader Joe’s has officially started recalling their own brand of hummus in 30 states due to—you guessed it—potential listeria. According to the website, the two flavors that are being recalled are Mediterranean Hummus and White Bean & Basil Hummus. This news comes just two weeks after the initial Sabra recall; what are the odds that both brands would have the same contamination concerns at around the same time?
There have been rumors circulating that Trader Joe’s, among other grocery store chains like Whole Foods, “repackages products under their private label.” This means popular brands like Stacy’s sell their product to TJ’s, who then repackages the product and slaps their label on it.
For anyone who holds Trader Joe’s to the highest esteem, this can feel like the time your college roommate told you your boyfriend of two years had cheated on you (I know, it hurts, but you’ll be okay). However, it’s important to note that not all products fall under this category, and these rumors have never been confirmed.
But when it comes to potential health concerns, such as the recent listeria outbreak, it calls these rumors into question. Is Trader Joe’s brand of hummus really just another popular brand repackaged and relabeled? Or are they just produced in the same factory? Or were the instances completely unrelated?
The real concern here is—how many people are now at risk of listeria because they are just learning that Trader Joe’s hummus could be affected (like me), despite the fact that the contamination news initially broke weeks ago for another company?
To see if your Trader Joe’s hummus is part of the recall, you can check out the official recall information on their website here. But in the meantime, I’ll be making my own.