More Trader Joe’s recalls? This soup may contain bugs and falafel may have rocks, grocer says

Trader Joe’s is recalling a broccoli cheddar soup that may contain insects and cooked falafel that may contain rocks, about one week after the grocery chain recalled two cookie products over similar concerns. The soup recall impacts Trader Joe’s Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup with “use by” dates ranging from Jul. 18 to Sep. 15, according to an announcement from the company. The grocer announced that Trader Joe’s Fully Cooked Falafel sold in 35 states and Washington, D.C., was also under recall. On July 21, Trader Joe’s announced that it was recalling Trader Joe’s Almond Windmill Cookies and Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies with “sell by” dates ranging from Oct. 17 to Oct. 21. Like the falafel, the cookies may also contain rocks, the company said. When asked for further information about how the insects and rocks may have gotten into these products, a Trader Joe’s spokesperson said that “there was an issue in the manufacturing processes in the facilities.” Suppliers alerted Trader Joe’s of the possible foreign material for each recall, the company said. Trader Joe’s did not specify how many products were impacted by each recall or identify suppliers. But one Food and Drug Administration notice cited by NBC News says that the Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup recall impacts around 10,889 cases sold in seven states. Winter Gardens Quality Foods, Inc. is identified as the recalling firm, per the notice. No formal releases about the three recalls were published on the FDA’s Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts page. The Associated Press reached out to the FDA and Winter Gardens Quality Foods for information. “We have a close relationship with our vendors and they alerted us of these issues. We don’t hesitate or wait for regulatory agencies to tell us what to do,” the Trader Joe’s spokesperson said. “We will never leave to chance the safety of the products we offer.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.