Everything You Need To Know About Trader Joe's Crunchy Slaw Salad Recall
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a health alert yesterday over concerns that some Trader Joe's ready-to-eat crunchy slaw salads may contain hard plastic pieces in its dressing.
The product in question is Trader Joe's 12 ounce crunchy slaw with chicken, crispy noodles, and peanut dressing, which is packaged in plastic containers and marked with the SKU number 94988. The potentially contaminated product was sold in Trader Joe's stores in five states: Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. According to Trader Joe's, only crunchy slaw salads with use by dates between March 9, 2022 and March 12, 2022 were affected, all of which have now been removed from shelves.
Per the FSIS health notice, the potential presence of hard plastic pieces in some crunchy slaw salad dressings was brought to its attention by Trader Joe's, which had been alerted to the hazard by its salad dressing supplier.
What to do if you purchased the affected product
The FSIS states that there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions to date, but its health alert expresses concerns that "some product may be in consumers' refrigerators." The crunchy slaw salad may be identified not only by its SKU and use by dates, but also by the establishment number P-6247, which it bears inside the USDA mark of inspection.
If you have purchased this product, the FSIS urges you not to consume it, and to immediately return it to the Trader Joe's location you purchased it from for a full refund. Those worried about potential illness after consumption, meanwhile, are cautioned by the FSIS to immediately consult a health care provider. According to Food Poisoning Bulletin, the small plastic pieces in the salad dressing may pose a choking hazard.
This is not the first time Trader Joe's has had to recall packaged salads over potentially containing shards of plastic. In 2017, the company recalled three different ready-to-eat salads, per CBS News.