Trader Joe’s issues sixth recall in less than six weeks

Trader Joe’s has recalled its sixth food item in five weeks.

The latest food to make the list is the grocery store’s Texas Tamale Company gourmet black bean tamales, which were recalled on 22 August. According to Trader Joe’s website, the company was alerted by its supplier that tamales with a “best before date of 19 June 2025 and Lot code 17023 - sold only in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas stores - may contain undeclared milk”.

This means that the presumed vegan items sold in those specific states may contain milk. “No illnesses have been reported to date, and all potentially affected products have been removed from sale,” Trader Joe’s announcement read.

The recall warned consumers who did purchase the tamales not to eat them. Trader Joe’s “urged” buyers to either throw the tamales away or return them to the store where they will receive a full refund.

Just a few days before this recall announcement from Trader Joe’s, another item was recalled. On 17 August, Trader Joe’s announced a recall of its multigrain crackers with sunflower and flax seeds. According to the announcement on its website, “products with Best If Used By dates between 1 March and 5 March 2024 may contain metal”. Similar to the tamales, no injuries were reported and all product that may have been affected was removed from sale and destroyed.

Other recalled items include: Fully Cooked Falafel, Almond Windmill Cookies and Dark Chocolate Chunk, Almond Cookies, and Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup. The falafel was recalled because it may have contained rocks, and the broccoli cheddar soup was pulled because it may have contained insects. The cookies were also recalled because they may have contained rocks.

Customers with questions are encouraged to contact the store’s customer relations department or email Trader Joe’s via the product feedback section of its website.

Some frequent Trader Joe’s shoppers have taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to talk about their concerns with the increase in recalls. “I was gonna go to Trader Joe’s today and then I heard about all the recalls,” one tweet read.

“The news media is just catching on to this, due to recent Trader Joe’s incidents that rose to the level of mass recalls. But it’s been an issue I’ve been noticing since the pandemic... Trader Joe’s has never been great at consistent quality control, it’s just noticeably worse,” another person pointed out on the platform.

According to Trader Joe’s website, it doesn’t “take any chances when it comes to product safety and quality”.

“We err on the side of caution and are proactive in addressing issues. We voluntarily take action quickly, aggressively investigating potential problems and removing the product from sale if there is any doubt about its safety or quality,” the grocery store chain said.

It continued: “We value information and clear communication. Should a recall become necessary, we waste no time in providing our customers details. Our recall-related communications go well beyond regulatory requirements: we share news through in-store signs, on our website, and through email alerts.”

The Independent has contacted Trader Joe’s for comment.