11 Million Pounds of Food From Aldi, Trader Joe's & More Is Being Recalled For a Scary Reason
There’s no better feeling than having a fridge full of protein-packed grab-and-go meals so you know you’ll be able to feed yourself well all week, even when you’re busy. But if you like to buy pre-made salads and wraps containing chicken, you’re going to want to check your fridge carefully before you take another bite, thanks to a massive food recall. Oklahoma company BrucePac and the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced a recall of more than 11 million pounds of ready-to-eat products containing meat and poultry, and these salads, wraps, sandwiches, and frozen meals were sold in popular stores all around the country. If you have any of the recalled products, eating them could make you sick, thanks to a scary bacteria.
Why are so many products being recalled? After routine testing, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service discovered that several products had tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that can cause listeriosis. Symptoms of listeriosis can include fever, aches, headache, gastrointestinal symptoms, and more, and it’s especially dangerous for the elderly, pregnant people, young children, and immune compromised people. Thankfully, there have been no reported cases of illness due to any of the recalled products yet, and hopefully spreading news of the recall so people can discard the affected product can help keep it that way!
This major food recall includes products containing pre-cooked meat and poultry available at a variety of retailers, primarily ready-made salads, wraps, sandwiches, and frozen foods like Taylor Farms pre-made salads, Trader Joe’s pre-made salads, Target’s Good & Gather pre-made salads, Aldi’s Little Salad Bar pre-made salads, Michelina’s brand frozen meals, and more. You can see the full list of recalled products here, including product packaging images, so you can check to see if any of the items you have stashed in the fridge could be part of the recall. Some of the popular recalled ready-to-eat items you want to watch out for include:
- Trader Joe’s Lemon Chicken & Arugula Salad with a best buy date prior to 10/12/2025, Lot Code GHNE 279, and SKU 97436.
- Trader Joe’s Pesto Chicken Wrap with best buy dates before 10/17/2024 and SKU 92018.
- Trader Joe’s Cobb Salad With Grilled Chicken Breast & Uncured Bacon with a best buy date before 10/17/2024 and SKU 71733.
- Target’s Good & Gather Cobb Salad With Chicken & Uncured Bacon with a best buy date of 10/12/2024 or prior and Establishment #s 21794, 34013, and 34733.
- Aldi’s Little Salad Bar Chef Salad with Chicken & Ham with a best by date of 10/12/2024 or prior and SKU 34733 and 34703.
The recall has already been expanded once, and unfortunately the FSIS thinks it’s likely that there are more contaminated products out there that were distributed to restaurants, schools, and other institutions that serve ready-made meals. They’re urging those places to take inventory of products in their refrigerators and freezers to make sure that they aren’t served.
If you have any of the recalled products in your fridge, you should discard of them or bring them to the location where they were purchased. If you consumed one of the recalled products and are experiencing symptoms of listeriosis, you should get checked by your doctor. It can take up to two months for symptoms to appear in high-risk populations, so it’s important to make sure none of the recalled products are consumed. After cleaning out your fridge, you can try these make-ahead school lunch ideas and make-ahead pasta recipes for quick and easy meals throughout the week.
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