If you recently purchased a chicken-related product from Trader Joe’s, this article needs your full attention.
Grocery chain Trader Joe’s is no stranger to bad publicity, especially when it comes to the company’s food products. From one woman finding a razor blade in her kale to another discovering color-altered salmon, the company has drawn some massive attention to itself.
Adding to its reputation are a fair share of recalls, which have been affecting many grocers in recent years. Trader Joe’s official website hosts an archive of its recalls, routinely updated with warnings to shoppers to avoid potentially unsafe items.
And judging by a further shopper’s recent experience, this list may need to be updated once more.
What happened with Trader Joe’s chicken soup?
In a video posted on Oct. 22 that has now reached over 540,000 views, TikTok user Kaitlin (@k..swag) shows a peculiar looking product from TJ’s.
She says she purchased a container of chicken noodle soup from Trader Joe’s the day before filming.
“Do we think this has gone bad?” Kaitlin asks in the clip.
@k..swag now imagine if I ate it Sunday 😭😭 id be on bed rest for a week @Trader Joe’s #traderjoes #traderjoeshaul ♬ original sound – kaitlyn 🫧
Kaitlin shows that the contents inside of the cup has expanded, to the point that the lid no longer fits on top of it.
She also shows that the soup has been unopened, and though the protective film is still covering the top of it, the film has stretched out into a bubble shape. The TikToker pokes the air-bubble film at the end of the video, and it doesn’t appear to burst open.
This bubbling up could be a sign of contamination, as bacteria release gases as a byproduct of fermentation, per the National Library of Medicine.
Kaitlin has yet to post an update on how she handled the Trader Joe’s chicken soup situation.
Commenters reveal their similar experiences
Apparently, Kaitlyn is not the only person who has gone through this questionable situation.
In the comments section, fellow shoppers shared their experiences purchasing items from Trader Joe’s. Others also pointed out that this mishap could stem from one of the brand’s recalls.
“This happened with our tzatziki dip we got from trader joe’s so we threw it away,” one user shared.
“Is that a soup bc that happened to me from trader joes once,” another commented.
“The amount of recall emails I’ve gotten this year from Trader Joe’s is INSANE,” a third said.
What Trader Joe’s products are recalled?
This unusual chicken noodle soup could be linked to the recent listeria outbreak.
Specifically, the FSIS released a statement in October, advising consumers that several products from major company BrucePac have been potentially contaminated with listeria. The brand is mostly known for supplying ready-to-eat chicken products.
Due to this suspected outbreak, several schools are under watch, and multiple major grocery stores are being looked into.
CBS News released a list of items that have been recalled as a result of the possible contamination. Multiple items from Trader Joe’s have been reported as unsafe, but chicken soup was not listed. Although, the original FSIS record has since been updated multiple times with new reports of contaminated products. Therefore, it’s still unclear if Kaitlyn’s product is among the potentially dangerous items.
Despite multiple of its products being mentioned in the listeria reports, Trader Joe’s has yet to update its website recall list with this information.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Trader Joe’s via email and @k..swag via TikTok DM and comment.
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