Food recalls are a pretty standard part of the game for supermarkets. With so much food on the shelves, it’s a given that something might go wrong. Such is the case with Trader Joe’s. The laidback supermarket is issuing a recall on their Trader Joe’s Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream, which comes just one month after another recall of their ice cream. Yet even if recalls are pretty common nowadays, you definitely don’t want to ignore the reasons behind this particular recall.
The Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream is being recalled because foreign, metal fragments were found in some of the containers. According to the recall warning on the store’s website, “no injuries or illnesses have been reported to date.” Even though that’s definitely good news, it’s no excuse to ignore the recall all together, no matter how much you love matcha and green tea flavored treats. “If you purchased Trader Joe’s Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream, please do not eat it,” the warning continued. “We urge you to discard the product or return it to any Trader Joe’s for a full refund.” Better safe than sorry, we always say.
This is the second brand of ice cream from Trader Joe’s to receive a recall notice. Just last month, the store announced a recall on its Mikawaya Mochi Chocolate Chocolate Ice Cream because it may contain peanuts, though they weren’t listed in the ingredients and, as we all know, nut allergies can be deadly if not properly managed. With two different brands of ice cream being recalled in such a short span of time, it’s not a good look for Trader Joe’s. They do seem to be taking this all very seriously, however. A statement on the recall section of their website reads, “With more than five decades of experience working directly with the producers of our products, we stand by our proactive practices and are continually improving our food-safety processes. We take these matters seriously—personally, even, as our families eat and drink TJ’s products, too.” All in all, Trader Joe’s has issued a total of 24 recalls, according to its website since 2015. That may seem like a lot, until you look at larger chains, like Kroegers, which has a whopping 50 recalls thus far in 2017. So, taken in context, it’s not such an outrageous amount of recalls after all.
Like we said earlier, recalls are just part of life, especially for food. It seems like people get a little jumpy when things get recalled, but all that means is that the system is working properly. Just this month, there have already been about 16 recalls–and the month isn’t even half over yet. Much of the time, the recall is just because there is an unlisted, potential allergen that consumers were unaware of. Occasionally, there is some sort of contaminant that could pose a serious health risk to anyone who eats it, but it’s in everyone’s (the supermarket, the product’s manufacturer, the consumer) best interest that the problem is quickly spotted and removed from shelves and homes as fast as possible.
For all the matcha/green tea fans out there, this recall might come as a tough pill to swallow, but fear not! Trader Joe’s still carries their Matcha green tea. It comes in both powder and can form. The powder needs to be added to water before it’ll do you any good, but then it’s all ready to go! All you’ll need is a little bit of ingenuity, and access to a freezer, you could always turn that refreshing tea into an even more refreshing popsicle.
