Trader Joe's chicken soup dumplings recalled for possibly containing permanent marker plastic

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 61,000 pounds of steamed chicken soup dumplings sold at Trader Joe's are being recalled for possibly containing hard plastic, U.S. regulators announced Saturday.

The Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service noted that the now-recalled dumplings, which are produced by the California-based CJ Foods Manufacturing Beaumont Corp., may be contaminated with foreign materials — “specifically hard plastic from a permanent marker pen.”

The recall arrives after consumers reported finding hard plastic in the Trader Joe's-branded products, FSIS said. To date, no related illnesses or injures have been reported.

FSIS urged consumers to check their freezers. The 6-ounce “Trader Joe's Steamed Chicken Soup Dumplings” under recall were produced on Dec. 7, 2023 — and can be identified by their side box labels with lot codes 03.07.25.C1-1 and 03.07.25.C1-2.

In an online notice about the recall, Trader Joe's asked consumers to throw the impacted dumplings away or return them to any store location for a full refund.

A spokesperson for CJ Foods Manufacturing Beaumont Corp. told The Associated Press that the company was investigating the issue, which happened during the manufacturing process. In an emailed statement, the food maker added that “customer safety remains our No. 1 priority.”

Foreign object contamination is one of the the top reasons for food recalls in the U.S. today. Beyond plastic, metal fragments, bits of bugs and more "extraneous” materials have prompted recalls by making their way into packaged goods.