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If You Have These Trader Joe's Frozen Items, Throw Them Out Immediately

The two ready-to-eat chicken products were not properly inspected.

Trader Joe's recently announced that several of its products are being discontinued because of supply problems and shortages, however, two other items are also being pulled from shelves in three states.

Some of the Chicken Tikka Samosas and the Butter Chicken Basmati Rice frozen meals sold at Trader Joe's stores in three states in the Northwest were imported into the U.S. without being inspected. While no recall has been issued and no potential dangers are associated with the frozen items, Trader Joe's is urging customers not to eat them and either throw them away or return them to any location for a full refund.

Trader Joe's Butter Chicken Basmati Rice and Chicken Tikka Samosas
Courtesy of Trader Joe's

"We have been alerted by our supplier…that the products imported from Canada were not presented for import reinspection into the United States prior to delivery to Trader Joe's," the store says on its website.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) also posted a public health alert, noting that the ready-to-eat frozen products were produced on April 14 and 16, 2022, and then sold in stores in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. They are no longer available for purchase there. However, both Trader Joe's and FSIS say they are concerned that some of the items could still be in some consumers' freezers. Anyone who bought one or both of these products should check them for "Best by" dates of either April 14, 2023, or April 16, 2023, and a lot code of either 208068, 208228, 208072, or 207772. 

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"The problem was discovered during routine FSIS surveillance activities of imported products. There have been no confirmed reports of illness or adverse reactions due to consumption of these products," FSIS says. "Anyone concerned about an illness or reaction should contact a healthcare provider."

Again, no illnesses related to either of these frozen chicken products sold at Trader Joe's have been reported, hundreds of people have gotten sick after eating Lucky Charms. Here's the latest on what the FDA is saying.

Amanda McDonald
Amanda has a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree in digital journalism from Loyola University Chicago. Read more about Amanda