Check Your Freezer — Costco Just Recalled This Chicken Fried Rice For A Dangerous Reason

Costco just recalled Ajinomoto Yakitori Chicken with Japanese-style Fried Rice for an alarming reason: the rice may be contaminated with shards of glass. The manufacturer has already sent out a recall notice to customers, but friends and family should check their freezers as well. Who hasn't outsourced a Costco run to save on membership fees?

Ajinomoto Foods North America announced the voluntary recall on February 25, 2026. The notice explained that the recall was not required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and was issued "out of an abundance of caution." This most recent recall follows reports of glass shards found in an Ajinomoto Foods frozen chicken fried rice product sold at Trader Joe's.

The chances of finding glass shards in your rice may be slim, but customers should still take this recall seriously due to the severity of the issue. The USDA labeled the initial Trader Joe's recall as Class I, defined as a situation with "... a reasonable probability that use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death."

According to the notice sent to Costco members, the recall applies to Yakitori Chicken with Japanese-style Fried Rice purchased between December 3, 2024, and February 20, 2026. The packages feature the product number 749182 and have best-by dates ranging from November 8, 2025, to January 12, 2027. (The best-buy dates are coded, so they will appear in a month-day-year format, or "110825," for example.) Customers can return the product to stores for a full refund. If you can't make it back, it's best to take the loss and trash the Yakitori Chicken.

Foreign matter recalls are common: In 2025, they were the leading cause of recalls in the United States. Recently, Aldi recalled 9,500 pounds of frozen meatballs after a customer found shards of metal in their meat. Hillshire Brands called back its sausage-on-a-stick and corn dog products after small pieces of wood got into the corn bread batter — making it one of the biggest food product recalls of 2025. 

If you ate some of the recently recalled rice, don't panic. According to National Capital Poison Control, a small shard of glass probably won't hurt you — but the organization recommends watching out for symptoms like pain, bloody stools, and fever. If you experience any of these, seek medical attention.