Recalls of Ajinomoto Foods North America Trader Joe’s branded frozen packages of fried rice started in February, from 3.4 million pounds of products recalled, to another 33.6 million pounds on March 3. On March 20, the FDA announced another expansion, including an additional 9.9 million pounds of vegetable fried rice and Japanese-Style Fried Rice With Edamame, Tofu and Hijiki Seaweed. The company had received at least four complaints from customers who said they had found small glass fragments in their food, and further investigation found that frozen carrots were likely the source of contamination. However, neither the first nor the expanded second recall notices from the FDA and FSIS explained how glass got into the carrots in the first place.
There have not been any reports of injuries tied to the recalled products containing foreign objects. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service expressed concern that the newly downgraded class II recalled items could still be in millions of freezers across the country. A class II designation, the second-most severe FDA/FSIS classification for recalls, is defined as a situation in which use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.
The items pulled from shelves were distributed to stores across 43 states coast-to-coast, and some were also available in Canada and Mexico. To identify the products, look for item number 5650233 on the packaging, according to an FDA notice to stores and consumers. The barcode on the individual bag is 00521482, and the products are marked with establishment number P-18356, P-18356B or P-47971 inside the USDA mark of inspection on the package. The USDA website has a full list of the specific lot codes of the products involved.