The Major Seafood Company Behind Trader Joe's Canned Tuna

The Trader Joe's store brand products are legendary. From their frozen foods to their many delicious snacks to their packaged goods, they are able to make quality items at a good price. It can be hard to find the companies behind the products thanks to strong NDAs, so when a supplier is revealed, it's big news. Thanks to a recall of canned tuna earlier this year, we found out the company that supplies Trader Joe's, along with Genova, Van Camp, and H-E-B, is Tri-Union Seafoods.

If you haven't heard of Tri-Union Seafoods, you probably aren't a seafood purchaser for a major grocery or packaged food corporation. They're the El Segundo, California-based subsidiary of Thai Union North America behind the "Chicken of the Sea" brand of canned tuna. The Thailand-based Thai Union is a major worldwide corporation supplying seafood products of all sorts to companies across Europe and Asia. Sadly, this most recent event wasn't the first time Tri-Union Seafoods was involved in a canned tuna recall.

With the major recall earlier this year, it's understandable if you want to take a break from the store's canned tuna. However, it would be a mistake to swear it off for good. It's on our list of canned foods you should be buying at Trader Joe's for a reason. It may seem like food recalls are growing, having increased by 15% since 2020, but that is largely due to our increased ability to trace our food — and to keep consumers safe when something does go wrong.

In the case of the Trader Joe's tuna, it was a preemptive recall that occurred before anyone was affected. The supplier discovered a faulty seal in the can that could cause it to leak or for botulism to spread into the tuna. Thanks to a quick recall, no one was hurt. The recall was not because there was botulism found in the can, but because there was a chance of botulism occurring in the can. It's a thin line, but one that gives us confidence that they're doing their best to keep our food safe in the long run.