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Waking up is realizing Trader Joe’s is really just an Ultra-Processed Foods store.
This is a great reminder now especially since TJ’s just recalled 37 MILLION POUNDS of their private label Asian frozen meals for glass contamination.
Their “in-house” fried rice’s and other dishes are really made by Japanese food giant Ajinomoto Co.
Trader Joe’s requires its name-brand suppliers not to publicize the business relationship, creating an illusion of artisanal or unique sourcing.
But recalls like this have shown us they are often just Big Food products packaged in their marketing…
• Pita chips → Stacy’s (PepsiCo/Frito‑Lay)
• Smoothies → Naked Juice (PepsiCo)
• Yogurt → Stonyfield (Danone)
• Cookies → Tate’s Bake Shop
• Nuts → Wonderful Pistachios
It’s what many see as illusion of choice destroying the trust of consumers.
It’s the very reason shopping at local farms will be widely perceived as far superior to grocery stores.
Know who you are buying your food from!
Transcript
Waking Up is realizing Trader Joe's is really just another ultra processed food store. They just recalled 37,000,000 pounds of their private label Asian frozen meals, and it gave us a peek under the curtain. Tier recall revealed that these frozen meals are really made by a Japanese food giant. For their private label, Trader Joe's often requires its name brand suppliers to not publicize the business relationship, which creates an illusion of choice for some consumers. And through other past recalls, we've actually seen that some of these private label brands are really just big food products. Their pita chips are just Stacy's, which is owned by PepsiCo. The smoothies? That's just Naked Juice, also owned by PepsiCo. Pistachios from the Wonderful Company, the second largest sprayer of Paraquat in California. Kokies, Tate's Bakeshop. Industrialized food posing as something else is the very reason that shopping at local farms will soon be widely perceived as far superior to grocery stores. And if you want some help getting started, you can use Localize to find 30,000 small local farmers near you.
