A frozen family favorite sold at Aldi has been recalled over fears the product may contain metal fragments.
New York-based Rosina Food Products, Inc is pulling 9,500 pounds of ready-to-eat frozen meatballs from Aldi store shelves across 36 states. The recall was prompted after a customer reported finding pieces of metal in their meatballs to the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
The frozen meatballs were produced July 30, 2025, and carry a ‘best by’ date of October 30, 2026. They were shipped to Aldi stores nationwide in 32-ounce bags labeled ‘Bremer FAMILY SIZE ITALIAN STYLE MEATBALLS.’ The USDA mark of inspection includes establishment number ‘EST. 4286B.’
There have been no confirmed reports of injury from eating these products, but the FSIS is concerned that millions of Americans could have the tainted products in their freezers.
The agency said: ‘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 metal fragments could cause injury if swallowed. Depending on the size and sharpness of the pieces, they could potentially damage teeth, cut the mouth or throat or cause more serious internal injuries to the stomach or intestines.
In rare cases, swallowing metal objects can lead to tears or blockages in the digestive tract, which may require emergency medical care including surgery.
The company did not disclose how the metal may have contaminated the products, but metal fragments can enter food during manufacturing when equipment breaks down. Worn machinery, metal-on-metal grinding and sheared bolts and screws can shed tiny pieces into production lines.
Nearly 10,000 pounds of frozen meatballs sold at Aldi stores in 36 states have been recalled over fears they may contain metal fragments after a customer discovered pieces in their food
The products have a 15-month shelf life, meaning many could still be sitting in freezers right now. The products were shipped to more than 2,000 Aldi stores nationwide.
USDA recall volumes hit 67.6 million pounds in 2025 – the highest in 13 years. Nearly all of it, 97.3 percent, was due to foreign objects in food, driven largely by a single 58-million-pound recall of corn dogs contaminated with wood.
Just days after the meatball recall, Trader Joe’s announced that it was pulling more than 3.3 million pounds of frozen chicken fried rice due to the possibility that it may be contaminated with shards of glass.
The FSIS performs millions of inspections annually, creating a massive archive of records.
Both the meatball and chicken fried rice recalls are listed on the FSIS website as Class I events, meaning ‘there is a reasonable probability that use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.’
The CDC estimates that 48 million Americans get food poisoning each year, mostly from bacteria and viruses, but physical hazards like foreign objects also send tens of thousands to the ER.
In 2018 alone, roughly 165,000 emergency room visits involved someone swallowing objects that should never have been in food in the first place.
