It's not hard to love Trader Joe's (or TJ's, as it is sometimes affectionately called).
They offer a selection of healthy and surprisingly affordable foods in a vaguely Hawaiian-themed setting. Plus, their snack selection is really top-notch.
However, it’s important to note that Trader Joe's, like most things in life, is not perfect.
On June 10, Trader Joe's issued a voluntary recall of all its Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream, due to the "potential foreign matter" it may contain.
When I first read "potential foreign matter" in the recall posting, visions of kryptonite and various otherworldly elements crossed my mind.
But really, the foreign matter referred to is just metal.
Not that it's normal to have metal in your food (except for gold on your pizza, of course). But remember, the presence of metal is potential.
No injuries or illnesses have been reported to date, according to the Trader Joe's website.
Still, better to be safe than sorry.
"All potentially affected product has been removed from store shelves and destroyed," reads the website.
It pains me a little to think of all that delicious matcha-flavored ice cream going to waste, especially since it’s my favorite flavor.
If you bought this ice cream, Trader Joe's urges you not to eat it. For matcha lovers, I imagine this will be hard. If you haven't yet thrown it away, you can return it to Trader Joe's for a full refund. Trading green for green.
This isn’t the first recall Trader Joe’s has issued in 2017. In May, Trader Joe’s recalled yet another delicious ice cream treat, its Chocolate Chocolate mochi ice cream. Tragic. It was recalled because the product "may contain peanuts, which are not listed in the ingredients," according to the recall statement.
So yeah, very dangerous for anyone with serious peanut allergies.
In March, TJ’s recalled its frozen breakfast burritos due to the potential presence of plastic. In February, its applesauce was recalled due to the potential presence of glass pieces.
These recalls really make you wonder exactly how these products are made. Companies today have to be extremely cautious about the safety of food products they put out.
If anyone gets ill or injured from their products, it could be a disaster, especially with the prevalence of lawsuits being brought against food manufacturers these days.