Trader Joe’s is recalling its Mango Tangerine Scented Candle sold nationwide because the popular product may pose a safety risk due to “a larger-than-expected flame.”
Part of a rotating lineup of seasonal candles, the recalled product “may have an unexpected burn pattern,” the retailer stated Thursday in an announcement posted on its website. “The candle flame can spread from the wick to the wax causing a larger than expected flame, posing a safety risk.”
The candles should be thrown out or returned to any Trader Joe’s for a refund, the retailer said. Anyone with questions can call Trader Joe’s customer relations line at (626) 599-3817 or submit a form on the company’s site.
Trader Joe’s did not state how many of the recalled candles were sold or whether there had been any reports of injuries or fires related to the product. A spokesperson said the recalled candles were made in the U.S. but did not provide additional information.
Trader Joe’s recalled its Mango Tangerine Scented Candle, pictured here, because of a safety risk related to how it burns.
Trader Joe’s
Now listed as not available on Trader Joe’s site, the 5.7-ounce candles had sold for $3.99 at the grocery chain’s stores. The recalled candles could still be found as of Wednesday at a considerable markup on Amazon, where one seller was offering a pair of the candles for $22.09. As of Friday morning, the candles had been removed from the site, Amazon said.
One user shared their experience on a private Facebook group page dedicated to Trader Joe’s products, saying “just a PSA I recently bought a Mango Tangerine candle that completely caught on fire after I lit it,” the user said.
Trader Joe’s, which is privately held, operates nearly 550 stores in 42 states and the District of Columbia.
Trader Joe’s is recalling its black bean tamales, which may be mislabeled and contain an undeclared milk allergen. It’s the grocery chain’s sixth recall since July.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Trader Joe’s is recalling black bean tamales, the sixth product recall since July for the grocery chain, which has also had issues with falafel potentially containing rocks and broccoli soup that might contain insects.
The latest recall covers one lot of Texas Tamale Black Bean Tamales, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said may include an undeclared milk allergen. According to the August 25 recall notice, the Hatch Green Chile and Cheese Tamales were mistakenly packaged in Black Bean Tamale Bags.
Customers have been warned of potential food contamination for a number of Trader Joe’s products during the past two months. The recent recalls include:
With the tamale recall, no illnesses have been reported, and potentially mislabeled products have been removed from sale, the notice said. Trader Joe’s didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Black bean tamales sold at Trader Joe’s are being recalled for undeclared dairy allergens. Tamales that include cheese were mistakenly packaged as dairy-free black bean tamales, according to the recall notice.
FDA
“The decision to recall these products was prompted by a consumer complaint that the items containing milk allergens were disseminated in packaging that failed to disclose the presence of milk,” the notice added. “Subsequent investigative efforts have identified a temporary lapse within our packaging processes as the source of this issue.”
The recalled tamales were sold in Trader Joe’s stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in for more features.
Trader Joe’s has issued another food product recall over concerns that it could contain a foreign material.
The grocery chain recalled batches of its “Multigrain Crackers with Sunflower and Flax Seeds” after its supplier said the snacks may contain metal. The product under recall has best “used by dates” between 3/01/24 – 03/05/24,” Trader Joe’s said.
Trader Joe’s is urging anyone who has purchased the crackers not to eat them. Consumers can return the crackers to any store for a full refund.
Batches of the grocer’s vegan crackers may contain metal.
Trader Joe’s
No injuries associated with the crackers have been reported, according to Trader Joe’s. The product is no longer for sale, while remaining batches have been destroyed, the retailer added.
In a statement on its website, Trader Joe’s said it is in close contact with its vendors and likes to “err on the side of caution and are proactive in addressing issues.”
“We voluntarily take action quickly, aggressively investigating potential problems and removing the product from sale if there is any doubt about its safety or quality,” Trader Joe’s said.
Trader Joe’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in for more features.
Trader Joe’s has issued its third food recall in a week, alerting customers on Friday that its Fully Cooked Falafel product may contain rocks.
The falafel was sold in stores in 34 states and Washington D.C., the supermarket chain said, noting that unsold boxes of the item at its stores have already been destroyed.
“If you purchased or received any donations of Fully Cooked Falafel, please do not eat them,” Trader Joe’s said in its recall notice. “We urge you to discard the product or return it to any Trader Joe’s for a full refund.”
Trader Joe’s didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Customers with questions about the recall can contact Trader Joe’s at (626) 599-3817 or send an email.
The soup is being voluntarily recalled by its manufacturer, Winter Gardens Quality Foods of New Oxford, Pa., according to the Food and Drug Administration. It was sold at Trader Joe’s stores in seven states, including California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington.
Khristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering business, consumer and financial stories that range from economic inequality and housing issues to bankruptcies and the business of sports.
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in for more features.
Trader Joe’s is recalling nearly 11,000 cases of the grocery chain’s branded soup products because they contain bugs, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
The agency said in a recall notice that Trader Joe’s Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup “has insects in the frozen broccoli florets.” The soup is being voluntarily recalled by its manufacturer, Winter Gardens Quality Foods of New Oxford, Pa., according to the FDA.
The recall affects 10,889 cases of the 20-ounce soup product sold at Trader Joe’s stores in seven states, including California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington. The soup sells for $4.99 a container, according to Trader Joe’s website.
Nearly 11,000 cases of Trader Joe’s Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup are under recall because the florets contain insects, according to the FDA.
Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe’s could not immediately be reached for comment.
Earlier this week, the company recalled two varieties of cookies, Almond Windmill Cookies and Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies, because some batches contain rocks.
All potentially contaminated products were removed from store shelves and destroyed, Trader Joe’s said in a statement. But the retailer urged consumers not to consume the cookies and to throw them out or return them to a Trader Joe’s store for a full refund.
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in for more features.
Trader Joe’s is recalling two kinds of almond cookies because they may contain rocks, the popular retail chain announced.
Consumers in possession of these cookies are being urged by the supermarket to throw them away or return them to any Trader Joe’s store for a refund.
“If you purchased or received any donations of Almond Windmill Cookies and/or Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies, please do not eat them,” the company said.
The cookies are no longer on the shelves, the company said, noting: “All potentially affected product has been removed from sale and destroyed.” It’s not clear how many boxes are affected or how the rocks got into the cookies.
The affected products include:
Almond Windmill Cookies (SKU #98744) with “sell by” dates of Oct. 19 through Oct. 21, 2023.
Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies (SKU #82752) with “sell by” dates of Oct. 17 through Oct. 21, 2023.
Almond Windmill Cookies and Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies product in packaging.
Trader Joe’s
Shoppers can contact Trader Joe’s Customer Relations at (626) 599-3817, Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. through 9:00 p.m. Eastern time, or email the company through its contact form, for more information.
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in for more features.
One person was killed and three others wounded in a shooting in the parking lot of a Trader Joe’s grocery store in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon during what may have been a drug deal, authorities said. Several suspects are in custody.
The shooting occurred at about 3:45 p.m. local time in the West Hills neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley, according to the LAPD.
“Our preliminary investigation has revealed that the dispute centered around a narcotics transaction in the area,” LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said in a news conference Saturday evening, according to CBS Los Angeles. “During that dispute, multiple suspects produced firearms and fired at each other.”
One person was pronounced dead the scene, Hamilton said. The victim’s name was not immediately released.
Two firearms were also recovered from the scene of the shooting, Hamilton disclosed.
Following the shooting, one of the suspects tried to flee in a vehicle, prompting a police pursuit. During that pursuit, the suspect was involved in a hit-and-run with another vehicle in which an innocent person was hurt, Hamilton said. The suspect then switched vehicles and the pursuit continued.
That second vehicle was eventually pulled over, and two people — the male suspect and a female driver — were taken into custody, Hamilton said.
The injuries of the hit-and-run victim were not believed to be life-threatening, Hamilton said.
As of Saturday night, two people remained hospitalized, and three others were in police custody. There are not believed to be any outstanding suspects, Hamilton said. The cause and circumstances of the shooting are under investigation.
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in for more features.
A Trader Joe’s store in Louisville, Kentucky, has become the grocery chain’s third to vote to unionize.
Workers at the store voted 48-36 in favor of the union Thursday evening, according to the National Labor Relations Board, which conducted the election.
Workers from the Louisville store will now join those from two other unionized Trader Joe’s stores at the bargaining table, where they are trying to hammer out a new labor agreement. In July, a Trader Joe’s in Hadley, Massachusetts, was the first in the country to unionize; a store in Minneapolis unionized in August.
The unionization effort at Trader Joe’s comes amid a larger wave of organizing largely led by younger workers. In 2020, a then 31-year-old Chris Smalls organized a walkout to protest the lack of face masks and other COVID-19 gear at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island. Jaz Brisack, a barista who began working at Starbuck in 2020 at the age of 22, helped lead the unionization of a store in downtown Buffalo, New York — the first Starbucks to form a union.
Employees have unionized hundreds of Starbucks stores over the last year, as well as Apple stores and an Amazon warehouse.
In the years since the pandemic, workers have increasingly flexed their muscle to demand better pay and treatment. Last year saw the biggest number of strikes in 15 years, with the ranks of unionized workers swelling by 273,000.
Not all workers on board
But Trader Joe’s United hasn’t convinced workers at every store where it has campaigned. A Trader Joe’s in Brooklyn, New York, voted against unionizing in October. And the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which is also trying to unionize Trader Joe’s stores, withdrew a petition for a union election from a Boulder, Colorado, store after failing to garner enough support.
Connor Hovey, an employee and union organizer in Louisville, said the vote is “a step in the right direction for not only our store, but for the company as a whole.” Workers are seeking higher pay, improved benefits and safer working conditions, among other things.
Trader Joe’s didn’t respond Friday to a message seeking comment on the vote. The company has said in the past that it already offers higher starting pay and better benefits than other grocers.
Monrovia, California-based Trader Joe’s is privately held by the families that also own Aldi Nord, a German grocer. Trader Joe’s operates around 530 stores in the U.S.
Long viewed as healthier than other sweet treats, some brands of dark chocolate contain potentially dangerous amounts of heavy metals, according to research released on Thursday by Consumer Reports.
Scientists at the nonprofit advocacy organization recently measured the amount of heavy metals in 28 popular brands of dark chocolate bars and found cadmium and lead in all of them. For 23 of the bars, consuming just an ounce a day would put an adult over a level for at least one of the metals that could be harmful, CR said. Five of the bars were above those levels for both cadmium and lead.
Long-term exposure to even small amounts of heavy metals can lead to a slew of health issues, including developmental problems and brain development in young children, experts say.
“But there are risks for people of any age,” Tunde Akinleye, the CR food safety researcher who led the testing, said in a statement. Frequent exposure to lead in adults can lead to nervous system problems, hypertension, immune system suppression, kidney damage and reproductive issues, he noted.
While most of the chocolate bars tested contained concerning levels of lead, cadmium or both, five had relatively low levels of both metals, CR found.
“That shows it’s possible for companies to make products with lower amounts of heavy metals — and for consumers to find safer products that they enjoy,” Akinleye said.
In determining the risks for the chocolate it tested, CR used California’s maximum allowable dose level of 0.5 micrograms for lead and 4.1 micrograms for cadmium, as there are no federal limits.
CR found that an ounce of Hershey’s Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate contained lead 265% above what California allows, and Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao holding 192% more.
Trader Joe’s didn’t respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for Hershey’s deferred to the National Confectioners Association for comment. In an emailed statement, the trade group objected to CR’s use of levels set by California, noting that the state does not set federal food safety standards.
“The products cited in this study are in compliance with strict quality and safety requirements,” a spokesperson for the group stated in an email to CBS MoneyWatch. “Food safety and product quality remain our highest priorities and we remain dedicated to being transparent and socially responsible.”
The confectioners association in August released research showing ways that lead and cadmium in chocolate could be reduced, including having cocoa farmers plant new tree stock.
The study was conducted in partnership with As You Sow as part of a settlement reached in 2018 between the shareholder advocacy nonprofit and 32 members of the trade group over a California law requiring businesses warn people about significant exposure to chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.
According to CR’s findings, the safer choices are:
Mast Organic Dark Chocolate 80% Cocoa. CR found an ounce contained 14% less lead and 40% less cadmium than California’s allowable limits.
Taza Chocolate Organic Deliciously Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao held 33% less lead and 74% less cadmium.
Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate 86% Cacao contained 36% less lead and 39% less cadmium.
Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate Twilight Delight. Lead contained was 61% below the allowable level and cadmium 96% below its allowable limit.
Valrhona Abinao Dark Chocolate 85% Cacao. Lead 63% and cadmium 73% below.
Long viewed as healthier than other sweet treats, some kinds of dark chocolate contain potentially dangerous amounts of heavy metals, according to research released on Thursday by Consumer Reports.
Scientists at the nonprofit advocacy organization recently measured the amount of heavy metals in 28 popular brands of dark chocolate bars and found cadmium and lead in all of them. For 23 of the bars, consuming just an ounce a day would put an adult over a level for at least one of the metals that could be harmful, CR said. Five of the bars were above those levels for both cadmium and lead.
Long-term exposure to even small amounts of heavy metals can lead to a slew of health issues, including developmental problems and brain development in young children, experts say.
“But there are risks for people of any age,” Tunde Akinleye, the CR food safety researcher who led the testing, said in a statement. Frequent exposure to lead in adults can lead to nervous system problems, hypertension, immune system suppression, kidney damage and reproductive issues, he noted.
While most of the chocolate bars tested contained concerning levels of lead, cadmium or both, five had relatively low levels of both metals, CR found.
“That shows it’s possible for companies to make products with lower amounts of heavy metals — and for consumers to find safer products that they enjoy,” Akinleye said.
In determining the risks for the chocolate it tested, CR used California’s maximum allowable dose level of 0.5 micrograms for lead and 4.1 micrograms for cadmium, as there are no federal limits.
CR found that an ounce of Hershey’s Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate contained lead 265% above what California allows, and Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao holding 192% more.
Trader Joe’s didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for Hershey’s deferred to the National Confectioners Association for comment. In an emailed statement, the trade group objected to CR’s use of levels set by California, noting that the state does not set federal food safety standards.
“The products cited in this study are in compliance with strict quality and safety requirements,” a spokesperson for the group stated in an email to CBS MoneyWatch. “Food safety and product quality remain our highest priorities and we remain dedicated to being transparent and socially responsible.”
The confectioners association in August released research showing ways that lead and cadmium in chocolate could be reduced, including having cocoa farmers plant new tree stock.
According to CR’s findings, the safer choices are:
Mast Organic Dark Chocolate 80% Cocoa. CR found an ounce contained 14% less lead and 40% less cadmium than California’s allowable limits.
Taza Chocolate Organic Deliciously Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao held 33% less lead and 74% less cadmium.
Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate 86% Cacao contained 36% less lead and 39% less cadmium.
Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate Twilight Delight. Lead contained was 61% below the allowable level and cadmium 96% beneath its allowable limit.
Valrhona Abinao Dark Chocolate 85% Cacao. Lead 63% and cadmium 73% below.
