🇺🇸nationwide class 1 recall of 3,370,530 pounds of frozen chicken fried rice due to contamination with glass🇺🇸
the brand names are ajinomoto and trader joe's. the ajinomoto fried rice was also exported to 🇨🇦canada🇨🇦, although as of when I (rune) started typing this, a canadian recall has not been announced. they probably will though. it has glass in it.
this is a class 1 recall, the highest severity with the most relative danger. eating this recalled frozen chicken fried rice is considered to have a reasonable probability of serious adverse health consequences or death. because of the glass
four people choose to protect others by reporting glass in their rice, which led to the recall. "no confirmed reports of injury due to the consumption of this product" which might mean there are reports of people who ate glass or got injured in another way, but may not have actually sought medical attention for it, or any possible medical attention was not categorized and reported correctly. who knows.
only some lots and some specific packages of these products are being recalled. best by dates extend into november 2026.
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/ajinomoto-foods-north-america-inc--recalls-chicken-fried-rice-products-due-0
WASHINGTON, FEB. 19, 2026 – Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc., a Portland, Ore. establishment, is recalling approximately 3,370,530 pounds of frozen not ready-to-eat (NRTE) chicken fried rice products that may be contaminated with foreign material, specifically glass, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
frozen and not ready to eat, meaning these should be cooked before eating for safety.
unfortunately, if you cook this chicken fried rice at the temperature glass melts (1723 celsius/3133.4 fahrenheit), the chicken might become tough. probably best to chuck these!
The NRTE chicken fried rice items were produced between September 8, 2025, and November 17, 2025. The following products are subject to recall [view labels]:
1.53-kg. cardboard packages containing 6 bags of frozen “AJINOMOTO YAKITORI CHICKEN WITH JAPANESE-STYLE FRIED RICE” with BEST BEFORE/MEILLEUR AVANT dates 26 SE 09 through 26 NO 12.
20-oz. (1 lb. 4 oz.) plastic bag packages containing frozen “TRADER JOE’S Chicken Fried Rice with stir fried rice, vegetables, seasoned dark chicken meat and eggs” with BEST BY dates 9/8/2026 through 11/17/2026.
some emphasis mine. label link is a PDF. NRTE means not ready to eat. if you bought your frozen chicken fried rice before september 8 2025, you do not have the extra crunchy version.
only some lots of these products are being recalled, and not every bag currently on the market.
The products subject to recall bear establishment number P-18356 inside the USDA mark of inspection. The Trader Joe’s item was shipped to Trader Joe’s retail locations nationwide. The Ajinomoto item was exported only to Canada.
these products were shipped nationwide. ajinomoto yakitori chicken fried rice was also sold in canada. I (rune!) expect them to recall it soon. sorry canada!
The problem was discovered after the establishment notified FSIS that it received four consumer complaints regarding glass found in product. There have been no confirmed reports of injury due to consumption of this product. Anyone concerned about an injury should contact a healthcare provider.
four people reported glass. there may have been injury reports that were not from eating the glass or were inadequate to include for some reason. the glass may have pierced through the bag that injured someone during handling, for example.
FSIS is concerned that some product may be in retailers’ or consumers’ freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.
the good news is, since this is a glass issue, you probably do not have to worry about sanitizing your freezer.
but uh, you might want to to worry about the rice itself, because getting sepsis from eating glass is a really nasty way to die. anything that can slice up your insides on the way down or on the way out is a bad time. and nothing in this recall actually says what the glass is specifically from, so it might also be dirty.
Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or send a question via email to [email protected]. For consumers that need to report a problem with a meat, poultry, or egg product, the online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at https://foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF/.
please save lives and help keep your community safe. report unsafe food. report unsafe products. do not just assume someone else will report. report safety issues! the glassy rice was only identified and recalled because of reports!
for more information, check the recall announcement!
thanks for reading! stay safe and take care!
