You might remember when Trader Joe’s had to clear its shelves of over 61,000 pounds of the chicken soup dumplings after customers complained that they were finding pieces of hard plastic inside. Well, it seems that Trader Joe’s still hasn’t been able to catch a break. On February 15, Trader Joe’s took the beloved Organic Acai Bowls off of grocery store shelves. The recall of this frozen food item has broken the hearts of customers everywhere, while also raising concern. The grocery store chain has not confirmed any cases of sickness or harm from consuming this item. Here’s what you need to know about the Trader Joe’s acai bowl recall.
Why did Trader Joe’s recall the frozen acai bowls?
On Friday, February 14, Trader Joe’s made a company-wide announcement on its website regarding the recall of its Organic Acai Bowls.
The statement read, “Out of abundance of caution, please discard any Trader Joe’s Organic Acai Bowls, as the product may contain foreign material (plastic), or return them to your neighborhood Trader Joe’s store for a full refund.”
The acai bowls are sold in the freezer section of Trader Joes and include an acai base, blueberries, bananas, dried coconut flakes, and granola. Since releasing the recall notice, Trader Joe’s has removed all stock of the acai bowls from its shelves and have not reported any cases of customer harm or injury from product consumption.
Trader Joe’s encouraged customers to reach out to the Customer Relations team if they had any further questions or concerns regarding the product’s recall. If you are experiencing injury or illness after eating the product, get in touch with your healthcare provider as soon as possible.
What other items have been recalled at Trader Joe’s?
Trader Joe’s has a reputation of having the best variety of organic, fresh, and innovative produce, meats, snacks, and more. But this prestige has not granted them immunity to food recalls in the past.
Just four days before announcing the recall of the acai bowls, on February 10, the grocery store released another statement on its website regarding issues with the canned tuna products.
Trader Joe’s was not the only grocery store impacted, as the recall hit other companies, including Kroger, Publix and H-E-B.
“We have been alerted that the seal may be compromised on a small number of tuna cans within the following lots,” a statement from the grocery store read. They detailed that this recall only extended to certain states and specific cans of tuna, but had potential for fatal effects. With the seals being compromised, the defective cans would have allowed for contamination from a bacteria that causes food poisoning when ingested.
The kinds being recalled included the ‘Solid Light Yellowfin Tuna in Olive Oil’ and the ‘Solid White Albacore Tuna’ sold in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.