Why Trader Joe's Has So Many Recalls

Trader Joe's is the pinnacle of grocery shopping for many, with its reasonable prices, delectable and unique snacks, plua copycats of famous brands that are better than the original. It's no wonder people happily stand in lines that snake around the whole store. However, not all is peaceful in the Kingdom of Joe: there are plenty of areas of improvement for Trader Joe's, and one of the most egregious is the frequent recalling of items. 

There were some major TJ's recalls in 2025, from canned tuna to sparkling water and even honey mustard salad dressing. Some of these are simply because the product didn't reach the high standard of quality Trader Joe's sets for itself, such as the candy-cane flavored Joe-Joes that ended up being a no-no. More seriously are the products called off for health concerns, with potential risks for diseases and bacteria like botulism and listeria recent threats for products taken off the shelves... after being available for a few weeks. It's no wonder that some FDA employees have nicknamed it "Recall Joe's."

We all know how delicious most TJ's offerings can be, aside from this pasta sauce that totally missed the mark. There is a high bar set for a product to be worthy of Joe's blessing, but it seems the bar for safety doesn't quite match that level of scrutiny, or at least not initially. Last year, there were recalls based on faulty packaging: canned tuna with defective pull-tabs, sparkling water bottles that could potentially explode, and missing allergen warnings. These kinds of problems affect all grocery stores, but none of these recalls led to any reported injuries. Sadly the same could not be said of a 2025 deadly listeria outbreak, which caused six deaths according to the CDC, and prompted the recall of their Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettucine Alfredo pasta at Trader Joe's in addition to similar products at Walmart and other stores.

While Trader Joe's insists none of its products tested positive for listeria, the store's list of recalls is surprisingly large given the more limited selection of products. One Instagram user compared their number of recalls to WalMart despite only having a fraction of the size. The cult following of Trader Joe's has led to a lot of myths and misconceptions about the store, and unfortunately not every TJ's recall is quality control: some are genuine health risks that slip through the protective net.