Well-known grocery chain Trader Joe’s issued a few unusual recalls during the week of July 23. The primary concerns of the recalls were bugs and rocks found in various food items.

On Friday, July 28, Trader Joe’s announced it was recalling its Fully Cooked Falafel, saying it may contain rocks. This followed Trader Joe’s recalling its Almond Windmill Cookies and Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies, also due to rocks.

The grocery store also announced a recall of nearly 11,000 cases of its Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup due to insects found in the frozen broccoli florets.

“We will never leave to chance the safety of the products we offer,” Trader Joe’s said in an emailed statement to Straight Arrow News. “In each of these cases – there was an issue in the manufacturing processes in the facilities. We pulled the product from our shelves as soon as we were made aware of the issue.”

The recalls from Trader Joe’s follow what was a significant increase in the number of food items recalled last year.

According to a report released back in March, the total number of units recalled in 2022 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) increased 700% compared to 2021. This, despite the total number of recalls issued only rising 2.2% from year to year.

The average FDA food recall affected about 125,000 in 2021. That number shot up to more than 985,000 units in 2022.

The report cites two major food recall-related crises in 2022. A major recall of peanut butter products impacted 21 different food items, with over 12 million units recalled. Then there was the infant formula recall, which affected nearly 15 million units and led to a nationwide shortage.

“A recall of infant formula that [was connected to] two deaths was the biggest story of the year in terms of food recalls,” the report reads. “While it was not the largest recall by volume, it had lasting repercussions on the supply of formula for months and led to calls for reform in the industry and within the FDA itself.”

Read full statement from Trader Joe’s:

“We have a close relationship with our vendors. We will never leave to chance the safety of the products we offer. In this case, there was an issue in the manufacturing processes. We voluntarily pulled the product from our shelves as soon as we were made aware of the issue. Once we understood the issue we notified our customers.

Here is a link to our Food Safety Overview.“