Trader Joe's now says its falafel may contain rocks (2024)

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Trader Joe's now says its falafel may contain rocks? ›

Recalled product:

Trader Joe's Fully Cooked Falafel Heat & Eat. NET WT. 12 OZ (340g)

Recalled product:

Trader Joe's Fully Cooked Falafel Heat & Eat. NET WT. 12 OZ (340g)

In the case of the rocks in Trader Joe's almond cookies, The Daily Meal explains that this could have something to do with how almonds are harvested. Mechanical equipment shakes the almond plant and then gathers the fallen almonds from the ground, so rocks, gravel, or other bits might get scooped up along with them.

Here are the Trader Joe's falafel ingredients: Falafel (soaked garbanzo beans [garbanzo beans, water], onion, lemon juice, parsley, cilantro, garlic, salt, spices [coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper]), rice flour, soybean oil, cornstarch, sodium bicarbonate.

The grocery retailer says it was alerted by a supplier that its fully cooked falafel, sold in about three dozen states including Massachusetts and New Hampshire, "may contain rocks." The products have been pulled from shelves and destroyed.

Shortly after its closure, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union filed an unfair labor practice (ULP) charge against Trader Joe's, claiming the company shuttered the store to prevent workers from unionizing.

When asked for further information about how the insects and rocks may have gotten into these products, a Trader Joe's spokesperson said that “there was an issue in the manufacturing processes in the facilities.” Suppliers alerted Trader Joe's of the possible foreign material for each recall, the company said.

If you buy off brand, bulk or farmers market foods like rice, peanuts, corn, sunflower seeds, potatoes, peas, etc you will find the occasional dirt, rocks, insects, and plant parts. You find stones in in beans because they are small and filter screens and destoners cannot pick the rocks out with out picking the beans.

Advertising Constraint. Trader Joe's minimal use of traditional advertising, although effective in nurturing a loyal customer base, presents a weakness in terms of reaching potential customers who may be unfamiliar with the brand, limiting their growth potential.

What is Trader Joe's being sued for? ›

The Trader Joe's case combined five lawsuits involving 17 law firms. It alleged undisclosed levels of lead, cadmium and arsenic, another heavy metal, in eight dark chocolate bars, citing the Consumer Reports study and "independent laboratory" testing.

Cheese recall 2024 affects Walmart, Costco and Trader Joe's

Rizo López foods has voluntarily recalled all cheeses and other dairy products made in its facility, roughly 60 items, due to a risk that they are contaminated with listeria, per the FDA.

Fully Cooked Falafel

Even though these falafels come from a store like Trader Joe's, I feel like you'd be better off getting your falafel fix from a street vendor. The fat is a killer here once again, with 29% of your daily recommended value of total fat, and 15% of your daily value of saturated fats.

These are the best frozen prepared falafels I've had. Crispy if baked for 10 minutes. from frozen. I like them crumbled into a salad, but forgot to take that pic.

Chickpeas in falafel contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, B vitamins and folate. They are full of antioxidants and are useful in fighting diseases. Of course, we emphasize again that you try to prepare it at home and do not fry it. If it is fried, its fat and calories increase and the food is no longer so healthy.

Beans' and chickpeas' starchy compounds, stachyose and raffinose, don't digest completely in the small intestine, which often leads to gas. Skip the falafel truck on your lunch break, and your stomach (and everyone else in your yoga class) will thank you later on.

Canned chickpeas do not work for falafel. They're far too wet. If you try to use canned chickpeas instead of dried and soaked chickpeas, you'll end up with sad falafel pancakes. Some recipes try to counteract the wetness by adding flour, which significantly dulls the flavor and makes the texture more doughy.