Trader Joe’s organic acai bowl recalled over contamination fears

Trader Joe’s has recalled a popular frozen dish over possible plastic contamination, the grocery chain said.

The organic acai bowl, which sells for $3.99, may contain plastic material, the retailer announced last week. The company encouraged customers who had purchased the bowls, which include berries, bananas, granola and dried coconut, to throw them out or return them. The company did not specify how the possible contamination occurred.

“At Trader Joe’s, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our customers and Crew Members. With this in mind, we do the daily work to make certain our products meet our stringent food safety expectations,” the grocer said in a statement. “We don’t take any chances when it comes to product safety and quality.”

In December, a Trader Joe’s fan page on Instagram announced the product had returned to shelves after a hiatus.

The recall follows other recalls that affected Trader Joe’s products: A widespread listeria recall affected some of the brand’s cooked chicken products last year, and last week, an issue with easy-open pull tabs on tuna cans prompted recalls over fears of botulism.

Between September and November last year, 26 food recalls hit California, including Fresno-based raw milk infected with the bird flu virus, city of Commerce organic carrots contaminated with E. coli, and cucumbers from Arizona contaminated with salmonella. Experts said testing systems for food have significantly changed over time, making it hard to say if the high number of recalls marks an unusual level of foodborne illnesses.