Trader Joe's recalls 4 products in a week amid reports of rocks and insects inside food


Trader Joe's recalled one of its falafel products on Friday over concerns that the item could contain rocks. This marked the fourth product recall from the grocer in the past week, as other foodstuffs were also reported to possibly contain rocks and insects.
In a recall notice, Trader Joe's said that its Fully Cooked Falafel "may contain rocks," and that "all potentially affected product has been removed from sale and destroyed." The grocer urged consumers to either throw the product away or return it to stores for a refund.
The falafel pullback comes after Trader Joe's also recalled two of its cookie products, Almond Windmill Cookies and Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies, that were also found to possibly contain rocks. The grocer was also forced to recall its Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup because it "may contain insects." No specifics on what types of insects may have contaminated the soup were provided, but the FDA's official recall notice said the product "has insects in the frozen broccoli florets."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trader Joe's said it "will never leave to chance the safety of the products we offer," in a statement obtained by NBC News. "We err on the side of caution and are proactive in addressing issues. We take action quickly, aggressively investigating potential problems and removing product from sale if there is any doubt about its safety or quality."
"We don't wait for regulatory agencies to tell us what to do," Trader Joe's added, saying that they "share news through in-store signs, on our website, and through email alerts as soon as we need to let our customers know there might be a concern with any of our products."
The origins of the possible contaminations remain unknown. Trader Joe's remains one of the fastest-growing grocers in the U.S., and has more than 560 stores nationwide.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
Should you add your child to your credit card?
The Explainer You can make them an authorized user on your account in order to help them build credit
-
Cracker Barrel crackup: How the culture wars are upending corporate branding
In the Spotlight Is it 'woke' to leave nostalgia behind?
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
5 fun cycling tours that let you vacation on two wheels
The Week Recommends Gain a new perspective while pedaling
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Go beyond the islands you already know in these 8 countries. Surprises await.
The Week Recommends These destinations fly under the radar
-
The most fun road trips are the ones with the least curveballs. Use these tips to get there.
The Week Recommends The music blaring, the windows wide open and a carefree drive
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party