Where Do Trader Joe’s Snacks Come From?
When it comes to buying snacks, few shops cater to my needs like Trader Joe’s . Their snacks are delicious, inexpensive and (usually) conveniently packaged, but I was never sure where they came from.
To be honest, it never bothered me that much until I read an article from Eater trying to find out exactly who makes Trader Joe’s “branded” products. It turns out that the answer to this question is not easy. Most of the store’s inventory is sourced from third parties, Eater said, including from giants such as PepsiCo:
As a private brand, California-based Trader Joe’s orders most of its products from third-party manufacturers (including giants such as PepsiCo. And Snyder’s-Lance) who agree to sell some of their merchandise under the Trader Joe’s label. Many of these brands sell the same or similar products under their own names for a higher price. The catch is that Trader Joe’s and its suppliers almost vow to keep the agreement a secret. Suppliers are not allowed to claim to be supplying Trader Joe products, says Gardiner, and Trader Joe’s never willingly talks about who their suppliers are.
However, there are several ways to find out where these products may have come from by looking at the recall information available among them. Using FOI feedback and information published over the past 10 years, Eater discovered that at some point, products from Wonderful Pistachios, Tribe Mediterranean Foods, and Naked Smoothies were being shipped to Trader Joe’s.
In addition to using the information from the flashbacks, Eater also compared ingredients and did taste tests, and you have to click to read whatever they found, but all of this suggests that perception plays a huge role in the food we buy. The Trader Joe image is not a general purpose stock. People tend to view Trader Joe branded products as a brand rather than “universal”, but in most cases that is exactly what they are: universal. I don’t know if this information will really affect my shopping habits, but it’s nice to know that I can buy Trader Joe’s smoothie (or something very close to it) from Safeway if I really need to.