Trader Joe’s has recalled two of its own-branded cookies after a supplier alerted the boutique US grocery chain to suspicions of “rocks” in the dough.
In a recall announcement, the company warned customers that some batches of its Almond Windmill Cookies and Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies “may contain rocks”, without elaborating on the size of the “foreign material”.
“Please do not eat them,” the statement read. “We urge you to discard the product or return it to any Trader Joe’s for a full refund.”
In the past few years, supermarket chains worldwide have had to recall products for a range of unusual, and sometimes dangerous, contaminants. In 2019, Tesco was forced to recall thousands of jars of Heinz baby food in the UK after sharp metal fragments were found in a single jar. The year before, its rival Sainsbury’s recalled a sliced beetroot product over fears it could contain small shards of glass.
In 2016, tens of thousands of bottles of a soft drink popular with children, Rubicon Sparkling Mango, were recalled after it showed signs of fermentation, which could make the bottles explode. The manufacturer, AG Barr, was unable to confirm reports that some drinks had already fermented into alcohol.
Trader Joe’s, which opened in 1967, has more than 500 stores across the US with a devoted following. The chain tries to avoid branded products, preferring to source directly from suppliers for its own label.
In its recall, the company said all potentially affected products had been removed from sale and destroyed. “We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience.”
