Trader Joe’s recalls 10K cases of broccoli cheddar soup over potential foreign material

Written by ABC AUDIO on July 28, 2023

(NEW YORK) — Trader Joe’s has issued a voluntary recall of its Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup that was distributed in seven states after a supplier informed the retailer it “may contain insects.”

On Thursday, Trader Joe’s announced the recall online to its “valued customers,” after the supplier, Winter Gardens Quality Foods, Inc., first initiated the recall with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier this month.

According to the supplier’s FDA notification, the recall was initiated “because the product has insects in the frozen broccoli florets.”

“We have been alerted by our supplier of Trader Joe’s Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup (SKU# 68470) that product with Use By dates 07/18/23 – 09/15/23 may contain insects,” Trader Joe’s wrote Thursday.

The soup was sold in the refrigerated section and comes in 20-ounce containers with 12 products per case. Trader Joe’s has recalled 10,889 cases.

As of time of publication, Trader Joe’s said that “no known adverse health effects have been reported” in connection with the recall, adding that “all potentially affected product has been removed from sale and destroyed.”

The company urged anyone who purchased or received any donations of the Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup to discard the product or return it to any Trader Joe’s for a full refund.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience,” Trader Joe’s wrote.

The latest recall comes days after the retailer issued a separate recall for two kinds of cookie products, Trader Joe’s Almond Windmill Cookies and Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies. According to Trader Joe’s, it was informed by a supplier that the cookie products “may contain rocks.”

ABC News has reached out to Trader Joe’s and Winter Gardens Quality Foods, Inc., for comment on the recall, but has not yet received a response.