Trader Joe's Is Being Sued In California For This Scary Reason
Ah, Trader Joe's — the grocery store we love to love, or in some cases, love to hate. It's by far one of the most popular supermarket chains in the United States, coming in second place to 7-Eleven and beating out Aldi, Kroger, and Whole Foods in terms of shoppers who feel positively about the store (via YouGov). But TJ's has also had its fair share of scandals. Some customers complain that the chain uses way too much plastic (via SFGate); workers have complained about unfair labor practices (via The New York Times); and food industry watchdogs have alleged that the chain might be hiding GMOs in its foods (via Food Babe).
And now, yet another scandal is rocking Trader Joe's — one that also centers on the store's possibly misleading labeling practices. Read on to find out what it is and how it might affect your shopping habits at the store.
A new lawsuit alleges sky-high levels of lead in some Trader Joe's foods
Trader Joe's loves to market its foods as being clean and healthy, but industry analysts have accused the company of hiding the truth about its products. For example, Vani Hari, aka the Food Babe, examined the store's testing practices and is unconvinced that its foods are totally non-GMO. And now, a lawsuit filed in California alleges that some popular Trader Joe's products contain dangerous levels of lead.
According to EIN Presswire, Los Angeles environmental attorney Vineet Dubey filed a suit last week accusing the grocery chain of testing off the charts on lead levels in five items in particular: its ready-to-eat Super Spinach Salad; its frozen palak paneer; its frozen riced cauliflower stirfry; its frozen pesto tortellini; and its frozen vegetarian spring rolls. When tested in an independent lab, those items contained, respectively: 25.30 micrograms of lead per serving; 16.20 micrograms; 10.40 micrograms; 10 micrograms; and 4.40 micrograms. Since the Food and Drug Administration sets a limit of 12 micrograms per day of lead for an adult, some of these foods contain more than double the daily allowance (via Insider).
Lead can build up inside the human body and cause severe health effects such as infertility and neurological problems. The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles urges Trader Joe's to discontinue these products or at least add a warning label to them.