Trader Joe's Just Issued a Nationwide Recall on a Popular Frozen Item—Here's What You Need to Know

Usually, when you hear news about Trader Joe’s, it means that the popular neighborhood grocery chain has just received a fresh shipment of yet another fan-favorite product or a brand-new offering that has garnered heaps of attention online. However, not all news is good news, and after recently releasing a highly sought after Persian frozen dinner, the grocer is now reluctantly having to recall the new offering due to potential contamination with a foreign material.

The announcement came directly from Trader Joe’s on February 2, which detailed the potential harm of the contamination. Trader Joe’s Chicken, Lentil & Caramelized Onion Pilaf is the frozen meal in question, with SKU #75473, though no further details have been reported regarding any illnesses or hospitalizations pertaining to the recall.

Customers who have purchased Trader Joe’s Chicken, Lentil & Caramelized Onion Pilaf are encouraged to either discard of the product or return it to any Trader Joe’s location for a full refund. Customers who may have questions regarding the recall can reach out to Trader Joe’s Customer Relations at (626) 599-3817, Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT. An email is also available to reach out to should the phone not be an option.

Related: The 10 Best Trader Joe's Finds of 2023

As of now, Trader Joe’s has not specified exactly what type of foreign material has been found in the frozen meal, however, the term could refer to a plethora of unwanted objects in our food. The fan-favorite grocery chain had a rough 2023, having to issue multiple recalls due to foreign materials between July and August. Specifically in August 2023, Trader Joe’s issued a recall on a pack of multigrain crackers, which turned out to be the grocer’s fourth recall due to foreign material contamination in just that month alone.

While all of the details of the recall are still unclear, the silver lining lies in Trader Joe’s ability to get out ahead of a problem and successfully communicate it to their loyal customers. Food contamination these days is nearly unavoidable, and the responsibility lies entirely on the retailer to take the necessary steps and precautions to avoid potentially harmful scenarios. But that doesn’t alleviate the consumer of all responsibility. If you get your hands on a contaminated product from any retailer, make sure to do your due diligence by communicating the issue so as to help move things along before the problem has the chance to get worse.

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