Trader Joe’s Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup May Contain Insects

If you purchased this soup, you can return it to Trader Joe’s for a refund.

The FDA allows some foods, including frozen broccoli, to contain a certain amount of insects, insect fragments, and other filth that present no health hazard to people. That’s because “it is economically impractical to grow, harvest, or process raw products that are totally free of non-hazardous, naturally occurring, unavoidable defects,” the agency says in its Food Defects Levels Handbook. Once a food is above that allowed level, though, the FDA considers it adulterated, meaning that it cannot be legally sold.

An FDA spokesperson said that the agency has classified this as a Class III recall. “Class III recalls usually don’t rise to the level where we would recommend a firm issue its own public warning/press release since the probability of serious adverse health consequences are remote,” the spokesperson said.  

Sana Mujahid, PhD, manager of food safety and testing at Consumer Reports agrees. “Basically, it’s gross, but not high risk, especially for foods that are heated before eating.”