Trader Joe's is recalling salads and sandwich wraps containing romaine lettuce that may be contaminated with Cyclospora. The news follows a public health alert from the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service on poultry salad and wrap products, as well as McDonald's removing salads in mid-July from some of their restaurants because of the same concern.
Trader Joe's noted that three of their products contain romaine lettuce from supplier Fresh Express, who also supplied lettuce to products distributed by Caito Foods LLC, of Indianapolis, Indiana. The other potentially affected products have sell-by dates from July 18 to 23 and include a chicken Caesar salad sold at Walgreens and a Cobb salad from Kroger.
Trader Joe's
The recalled Trader Joe's products were sold stores in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin with the "Best By" dates codes of 07/21/18 through 07/23/18. They are:
- Trader Joe's Tarragon Chicken Salad Wrap (SKU#97031-51775MW)
- Trader Giotto's Caesar Salad with Chicken (SKU#06832-51775MW)
- Trader Ming's Chinese Inspired Salad with Chicken (SKU#65234-51775MW)
No illnesses have been reported to date from the Trader Joe's products, however the same parasite is linked to the McDonald's outbreak in 15 states that have sickened at least 286 people.
On July 26, 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed the presence of Cyclospora in an unused package of Fresh Express salad mix containing romaine lettuce and carrots, which had been distributed to McDonald's. After the FDA informed Fresh Express of the results, the company contacted distributors that used Fresh Express romaine lettuce. Caito Foods began working with the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to remove their affected products from store shelves.
Cyclospora are microscopic parasites that can live for up to 14 days. Most people infected with Cyclospora develop diarrhea, with frequent, sometimes explosive, bowel movements. Other common symptoms include loss of appetite, weight loss, stomach cramps/pain, bloating, increased gas, nausea, fatigue, and other flu-like symptoms.
If you have eaten these products and have symptoms of a food borne illness such as a Cyclospora infection, contact your healthcare provider.
For questions about the recalled Trader Joe's products, contact Trader Joe's Customer Relations at (626) 599-3817 Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific Time or via email.
