Trader Joe's expands frozen rice recall to nearly 10 million pounds

Trader Joe’s added another 9,885,240 pounds of Vegetable Fried Rice to a recall that already had spread across several frozen products, giving store crews another food safety issue to manage as federal inspectors warned that some packages could still be sitting in freezers. The company told customers not to eat the product and to discard it or return it for a full refund.

The latest expansion sits on top of a recall that began when Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc. first pulled about 3,370,530 pounds of frozen not-ready-to-eat chicken fried rice on Feb. 19, 2026, after receiving four consumer complaints about glass in the product. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service later said a March 3 expansion added about 33,617,045 pounds more, bringing the total to 36,987,575 pounds.

For Trader Joe’s, the March 3 recall covered Chicken Fried Rice, Vegetable Fried Rice, Japanese Style Fried Rice and Chicken Shu Mai, with best-buy dates stretching into 2027. The newest addition covered Vegetable Fried Rice sold in 43 states, with best-buy dates ranging from Feb. 28, 2026, to Nov. 19, 2026. One report said the glass shards were between 1 cm and 3 cm long and 2 mm to 4 mm wide.

The recall matters in practical terms for crew because it is not just a supplier issue, it is a store-floor issue. FSIS said the Trader Joe’s item in the original Feb. 19 action was shipped to Trader Joe’s retail locations nationwide, and the agency said it routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks because it remains concerned that some product may still be in retailers’ or consumers’ freezers. Trader Joe’s said it was recalling certain frozen products “in an abundance of caution” and said there had been no confirmed reports of injury related to the recalled products.

Trader Joe’s says it shares recall information through in-store signs, its website and email alerts, which puts a premium on clear, consistent communication at the store level when shoppers come in with questions or returns. The company’s customer relations line, at (626) 599-3817, is available Monday through Friday from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm Pacific Time. For crew and managers, the test is whether product pulls, refund handling and customer explanations stay aligned while the recall keeps widening.