Why Trader Joe's Is Recalling Its Arugula Salad Kit

Trader Joe's is known for its premade or easy-to-make options that help streamline everything from office lunches to snack time to family dinners — and its Lemony Arugula Basil Salad Kit is no exception.

According to the Trader Joe's website, this particular salad kit was made with summer in mind: It includes peppery arugula, shredded parmesan cheese, carrots, roasted almonds, and a punchy lemon and basil vinaigrette. The salad kit retails for $3.99 and makes about three servings, per the grocery chain.

However, if you recently purchased this salad kit from your local Trader Joe's, you may want to check its best-by date. The FDA recently announced supplier Taylor Farms Retail has issued a voluntary recall of these arugula salad kits produced on one specific day — as noted by the best-by date of June 2, 2022. If your salad kit has a matching date, the agency recommends that you avoid eating it and discard its contents instead. These salad kits were sold in Trader Joe's locations across the U.S.

According to the FDA, Trader Joe's Lemony Arugula Basil Salad Kits with the June 2, 2022 best-by date may contain wheat and eggs — two allergens that are not listed on the packaging. As such, the salad kits from this particular batch may cause allergic reactions in those who are gluten- or egg- intolerant.

Taylor Farms Retail decided to recall the product after a consumer alerted the company to the issue. However, at the time of the FDA's press release on May 27, there had been no reports of incidents or allergic reactions as a result of consuming the product.

The Lemony Arugula Basil Salad Kit is the second Trader Joe's salad to be recalled in the past few months. Back in March, the brand's Crunchy Slaw with Chicken, Crispy Noodles & Peanut Dressing was recalled due to the product being potentially contaminated with hard plastic, per the USDA. Unlike the current salad kit recall, this previous one only applied to salads sold in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, though it included multiple best-by dates — from March 9 to March 12.