Also, every GMO is different. So much of the defense of GMOs is along the lines of “well, we studied these particular GMOs so obviously all GMOs are safe, even the ones that have yet to be engineered.” Nope. I think the testing requirements for GMOs are too lax (despite the PR about testing requirements being super strict, there are loopholes), but that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of safe ones. I’m just concerned we aren’t doing enough to recognize the occasional unsafe one.
4 Likes
Yeah, next you’ll find out that Kirkland brand at Costco is also made by some other vendor.
7 Likes
Nuts. If they’re the same nuts that I can buy at Safeway (or Whole Foods) then at least I can pay 40% less (or better) at TJ’s.
I try not to overload on them, but some of the frozen foods I’ve never seen anywhere else.
4 Likes
This comes as a shock to me that this comes as a shock to people. Trader Joe’s doesn’t have its own elves making sustainable organic whatever behind the scenes. They get their stuff from the same place everyone else does.
4 Likes
Yeah, can’t say I’ve ever bothered to think about this before, but… Google tells me Trader Joe’s has 465 stores, and aside from some local cheeses and produce they all carry the same branded products. How many companies are there, do people think, that can sustain that kind of output?
@TripleE: I certainly hope it is. Costco is one of my favorite places to shop, and they have consistently good quality overall. But it’s not like they have their own factories cooking, canning, and jarring things, and I’d would like to believe I’m going to get the same stuff in a Kirkland brand package at any Costco location.
1 Like
Isn’t part of the fun of Trader Joe’s trying to guess the true identities of their products? I did a side-by-side comparison of organic lentil vegetable soups (the kind in the can, which TJ’s doesn’t seem to carry anymore) and the TJ version was identical to the Amy’s Kitchen one, but of course less expensive.
As an inveterate ingredient label reader, I like the fact that Trader Joe’s frozen food usually seems free of the crap like corn syrup and additives with hard-to-pronounce names that you often see in other similar products, which makes me feel better about eating it.
4 Likes
Like many others said, no surprise. Overall he TJ’s quality is good and the price point is also very good. I don’t know who makes there pasta sauce but I really like it and have yet to discover the equivalent name brand, it also is cheaper then any name brand.
False outrage. Also TJ’s have never had good fresh produce with the original CA store being one of the worst offenders.
4 Likes
The only supermarket that I know of that “makes” some of their generic brand is H-E-B from Texas.
I know this because I have friends who actually work in their manufacturing plant. But even H-E-B contracts most of their stuff.
However, “Contract” production does not mean “the same”.
Contract just means you used the same facilities. You typically have a different recipe, different ingredients, even different quality control. Two “oreo” type cookies made in the same facility to different specs can be vastly different. It all depends on what was in the contract.
The biggest example of “contract production” that most people use daily is beer and soda. Beer and soda are frequently “contract brewed”. Sam Adams, for example, doesn’t hardly own a brewery. They have their beer made by other breweries to their recipe and specs. Dr. Pepper, similarly, does not own a production facility. Coca-cola and Pepsi both make the product depending on the location.
2 Likes
This is the whole reason Mrs. T and I shop at Trader Joe’s. We have certain products that we like which are available from Trader Joe’s for significantly less than if we bought them in name-brand packaging. For example, their women’s prenatal vitamins are a match for the pricey ‘Rainbow Light’ (I think that’s the right one) name brand but sell for significantly less. I swear some of their cereals are made by Kashi and others are made by General Mills’ store-brand division. Decent quality, superior prices. Scratcher board thingy for the cats? Waaay less from TJ’s vs. buying the same thing with brighter graphics from any of the big pet supply chains (it’s a chunk of corrugated cardboard, why overpay?). Their frozen foods selection is incredible, their frozen vegetables taste better than the name brand equivalents. And so on…
Also, their seasonal offerings are unmatched by anyone else. Need a pumpkin/pumpkin spice fix? Need a Christmas chocolate and mint fix? TJ’s is the place to go during the holidays. Their chocolate and peppermint covered ‘oreos’ at Christmastime are to die for.
None of this is any great secret.
3 Likes
TJ’s produce used to be much worse. Our local store has a lot of loose fruit and vegetables like a traditional grocery store, not all in plastic packages like it once was, although there’s still a lot of questionable packaged produce. Our guinea pig really likes their bagged butter lettuce and radicchio salad, though, so I have to buy that when I’m there.
2 Likes
Wait, there is a grocery store called Trader Joes? Is that related to the liquor and candy store with the same name?
2 Likes
How could it be otherwise? They would have to have so much specialized equipment to produce a whole range of products found grocery stores. There’s no way they could do that and have competitive prices.
2 Likes
Known this for years. Not really an issue, and the headline really just makes this feel like slow-news-day clickbait.
2 Likes
Hey, those pages don’t click themselves, you know?
7 Likes
In Austria, Aldi Süd is “Hofer”.
BTW, I live in Aldi Nord terrytory - but right at the demarcation line. If I invest 15 minutes or so extra driving time, I can have the best of two worlds.
2 Likes
Actually I have noticed the produce looked better, use to live in the LA area but now live in OKC OK and we have one TJ’s which is about 45 minutes from me. Go there about once a month for the frozen and other items I want. We have a local Sprouts which has better produce then the local grocery chains and generally better prices at least on produce, other things not so much.
1 Like
Agreed. And the prices are pretty good if you know what you’re doing. Avocado, banana, tri-color carrots, bagged grapefruit. way higher quality and lower cost in my opinion.
I never trust their dairy products. I believe their supply chain is slower/longer and have often had bad luck with ilk and yogurt there.
Reliable kosher chicken. Their bagged frozen orange chicken is damn tasty if you really cook to crispy and only use half the sweet sauce.
3 Likes
Ok, that I had no idea about, and I’m very surprised. PepsiCo in general has… very strict policies about not doing business with companies who do business with Coke (obviously grocery stores are an exception). As in, to the point where Pepsi employees traveling on business won’t stay in hotels or eat in restaurants that use Coke products.
Are there any differences between Dr. Pepper in regions where Coke makes it, vs. Mr. Pibb in regions where Pepsi makes Dr. Pepper? Does Dr. Pepper itself vary depending on who makes it?
Step 1 Don’t worship grocery stores
Step 2 Manage your expectations
Step 3 Embrace your role as part of the problem
3 Likes
Step 4: CONSUME
8 Likes
