A woman is issuing a warning to people who purchase kale at Trader Joe’s. That’s because she says she found a tiny razor blade in her lunch.
TikTok user Lexi Ackley (@lexack) posted a video with the warning on Saturday. It has since amassed more than 360,000 views. “If you shop at Trader Joe’s, you need to be careful,” she says to start the video. “Especially if you shop at Trader Joe’s and you buy the kale.”
Then, Ackley explains that she just recently made herself a lunch that included some kale from Trader Joe’s. “As I was eating it, I found a teeny, tiny little razor blade in my food.”
Why this disturbed Ackley so much
This experience troubled Ackley because she wondered what would’ve happened if she accidentally swallowed the razor. “I am shook,” she says. “It’s the kind of food that I could have scooped up and swallowed a razor blade that small without even realizing it.”
To make matters worse, Ackley says that when she tried to report the issue to Trader Joe’s, she wasn’t able to submit a photo along with the complaint.
“There is a product feedback form that you can submit that you had an issue, including that you had a foreign object in your food,” she says, “but there’s no way to submit pictures. So, Trader Joe’s needs to fix that.”
Consequently, she says, “I will be reaching out to my local Trader Joe’s general manager to handle it from here.”
Viewers weigh in on the incident
In the caption, Ackley writes, “I’m so glad I was paying attention and I didn’t serve this to my 2-year-old!!! Makes my stomach hurt just thinking about what could’ve happened.”
In the comments section, viewers expressed shock and disappointment that this happened. Others said this isn’t surprising considering the brand’s recent recall history.
“This happened to me too!!! Metal scrap,” wrote one viewer.
“Trader Joe’s this is unacceptable!!” wrote another viewer.
“I found glass in our mixed fruit once. Definitely contact the store where you bought it. Within 15 minutes of me calling and driving back to check they had already removed the rest from the shelves,” wrote a third viewer.
Someone else wrote, “Trader Joe’s has had so many recalls for foreign objects. I’m so surprised people are still such big fans.”
@lexack Im so glad I was paying attention and I didnt serve this to my two year old!!! Makes my stomach hurt just thinking abojt what could have happened. 😰#traderjoes #traderjoesfoodreviews #traderjoeshaul @Trader Joe’s ♬ original sound – Lexi Ackley
Trader Joe’s lengthy recall history
There is some truth to what the commenters are saying. According to this USA Today article, Trader Joe’s does indeed pull food from shelves immediately once it knows about foreign material or another public health issue that necessitates a recall. And, while it’s unclear if Trader Joe’s is recalling products at a higher rate than other retailers, the chain has grappled with numerous reported recalls due to rocks, insects, or scrap metal in the past few years.
USA Today spoke with experts who blame an increasingly complex supply chain and suggest the company work more closely with its suppliers to ensure quality control. A professor of food safety and corporate social responsibility at Northeastern University, Darin Detwiler, said Trader Joe’s “upfront” communication on the issue is “a positive sign.”
In a follow-up video posted Sunday, Ackley says she spoke to a Trader Joe’s manager who expressed concern and asked her to bring in the bag of kale and the razor blade to aid in an investigation. After she handed in the two items, Ackley received a $2 refund for the bag of kale and a complimentary bouquet of flowers. While she appreciated the gesture, she said she was mostly glad nobody ingested metal and that the outcome wasn’t more serious.
Additionally, she said that while many people are suggesting she take legal action, she currently isn’t planning to do so. That’s because she doesn’t think she could prove that it came from the kale bag specifically and not another item from the store. Either way, she is just glad she and her child are safe and didn’t eat it.
The Daily Dot reached out to Ackley via TikTok comment for comment. It also reached out to Trader Joe’s via online contact form.
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