If you've been putting off your New Year's resolution of eating clean, now could be the perfect time. The Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued a recall on more than 3 million pounds of frozen chicken fried rice. The frozen meals could contain chunks of glass.
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Trader Joe's stocks frozen meals across all its locations. Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc., is the distributor for the meals. They are specifically the Japanese-style fried rice and Trader Joe's own chicken fried rice.
The Japanese-style fried rice has only been sold at locations in Canada, while the own-brand chicken fried rice has been sold across all locations within the U.S.
"America pulled the popular meal, sold at Trader Joe's stores nationwide," ABC News reported. "The frozen product containing fried rice, vegetables, chicken, meat, and eggs is sold in 20-ounce bags. Federal food safety officials say the recall followed four consumer complaints, though no injuries have been reported. Consumers are urged not to eat the meals and instead throw them away or return them to the store where it was purchased."
It's important to note that the Ajinomoto Foods North America meals aren't solely stocked at Trader Joe's. They're also on sale at Costco and a few other national stores, too. However, only the Trader Joe's batches have been recalled thus far.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service Has Issued a Statement Over the Trader Joe's Recall
Despite concerns about rogue chunks of glass in the recalled food, the FSIS (Food Safety Inspection Service) has confirmed that no injuries have occurred to date. The confirmation came via a Feb. 19 recall notice.
"There have been no confirmed reports of injury due to consumption of this product. Anyone concerned about an injury should contact a healthcare provider. FSIS is concerned that some product may be in retailers' or consumers' freezers," the statement said. "Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them."
It's currently unclear how many bags of the frozen meals have been sold and/or consumed. So, if you have one or more in your freezer, take them back to the store at your earliest convenience.
