Fact Check
Packs with the best-by date of 03.07.25 and lot codes C1-1 or C1-2 can be turned in to Trader Joe's for a full refund.
Jack Izzo
Published March 4, 2024
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Claim:
Trader Joe's issued a recall of its steamed chicken soup dumplings on March 2, 2024, because they may have contained "hard plastic from a permanent marker pen."
Rating:
RecallAbout this ratingContext
The recall applies to packages of the chicken dumplings with a best-by date of "03.07.25" and lot codes C1-1 or C1-2. The potentially contaminated batches were produced on Dec. 7, 2023.
The grocery chain Trader Joe's announced that it was recalling more than 61,000 pounds of its popular steamed chicken soup dumplings, according to credible news sources such as the The Associated Press. On March 2, 2024, the company released astatement announcing that its chicken soup dumplings packaged with the best-by date "03.07.25" and lot code C1-1 or C1-2 might contain bits of hard plastic.
According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the dumplings may be contaminated by plastic from a "permanent marker pen." The offending packages were produced in California on Dec. 7, 2023, and were shipped to Trader Joe's stores across the nation.
The statement from FSIS explained that the contamination was reported by consumers who found bits of plastic in their dumplings, and that the organization was "concerned that some product may be in consumers' freezers." Trader Joe's is offering a full refund for the recalled packages and is urging consumers to check their freezers to ensure their dumplings are safe.
Over the past year, the chicken soup dumplings from Trader Joe's have occasionally gone viral for their pure deliciousness, leaving many fans a bit anxious about the recall. We were able to categorize people's reactions on TikTok into three categories:
- "Just the chicken? I only get the pork ones," one commenter wrote. (Yes, just the chicken ones. The pork ones are fine.)
- "i do not have the box anymore as i ate them this week 😭," a different commenter wrote. (We are hopeful that anyone who ate the contaminated dumplings identified the plastic before swallowing the dumpling.)
- "The emotional stability I get from these is worth a little sharpie and plastic," a third commenter wrote. (We cannot in good faith support this approach.)
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Sources
Archie, Ayana. "Trader Joe's Recalls Its Chicken Soup Dumplings for Possibly Having Marker Plastics." NPR, 4 Mar. 2024. NPR, https://www.npr.org/2024/03/04/1235728440/trader-joes-chicken-soup-dumplings-recall.
CJ Foods Manufacturing Beaumont Corporation Recalls Trader Joe's Chicken Soup Dumplings Due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination | Food Safety and Inspection Service. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/cj-foods-manufacturing-beaumont-corporation-recalls-trader-joes-chicken-soup. Accessed 4 Mar. 2024.
Gumbrecht, Jamie. "Trader Joe's Chicken Soup Dumplings Recalled Due to Possible Contamination with Hard Plastic." CNN, 4 Mar. 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/04/health/trader-joes-chicken-soup-dumplings-plastic-recall/index.html.
"RECALL: Potential Foreign Material (Plastic) in Steamed Chicken Soup Dumplings." Trader Joe's, https://www.traderjoes.com/home/announcements.html?category=recalls&id=268982835&. Accessed 4 Mar. 2024.
TikTok - Make Your Day. https://www.tiktok.com/@traderjoestalia/video/7342206826051538207. Accessed 4 Mar. 2024.
---. https://www.tiktok.com/@traderjolene/video/7342152522129378606. Accessed 4 Mar. 2024.
---. https://www.tiktok.com/@erinnobrienn/video/7285186489011572014. Accessed 4 Mar. 2024.
"Trader Joe's Chicken Soup Dumplings Recalled for Possibly Containing Permanent Marker Plastic." AP News, 3 Mar. 2024, https://apnews.com/article/trader-joes-chicken-soup-dumpling-recall-74d677e020d8f55bab6635508305e459.
By Jack Izzo
Jack Izzo is a Chicago-based journalist and two-time "Jeopardy!" alumnus.
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Article Tags
RecallsFood RecallTrader Joe'sFood Contamination
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