US store chain cuts sales of food from China:Trader Joes

[superconnected]

Source: Yahoo News

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US grocery chain Trader Joe's said Monday it would stop selling food imported from China due to customers' concerns about the products' safety.

"Our customers have voiced concerns about products from this region and we have listened," Trader Joe's spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki said in a statement.

"All single ingredient food items sourced from mainland China sre scheduled to be out of our stores by April 1," she said.

"We will continue to source products from other regions until our customers feel as confident as we do about the quality and safety of Chinese products."


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080212/ts_alt_afp/uschinaconsumertrade

[Jax]

1. Excellent!!!

Thank you for posting this superconnected, I just did my monthly Trader Joe run today.

Alyce

[OKthatsIT]

56. Its an improvement, but it still doesn't stop 'ingredients' from China

Thats a pisser.

- I think Congress should force the food industry to label all 'ingredients' in a product that from an out-of-country source.

- All produce from out of the country may be sprayed with pesticides which are outlawed in the US.

- All fresh foods are 'irradiated' when coming from outside the country.

- Produce from Califoria, trucked across country is irradiated, too.

- 'ORGANIC' labeled produce from Bangledesh is full of ARSENIC. (All of the soil there is contaminated)

- ALL COTTON CLOTHING from INDIA are sprayed with DDT before shipping abroad. BEWARE WAREHOUSE AND RETAIL WORKERS!!! People unpacking these shipments are contaminating themselves daily. OSHA does not give a damn...and without a UNION, you have no watchdogs. LINK TO VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol9LhGQJQ_w

[Ian David]

2. Have they not noticed that Bush has eviscerated American food inspections, too?

Granted, this is a good move.

But aren't we really the pot calling the wok black?

[ElboRuum]

5. Not really...

Whether inspections are carried out to previous levels or not, American food suppliers face considerably more immediate and direct consequences from both the people and the agencies of the government.

[Ian David]

17. American executives (unfortunately) don't commit suicide when they poison their customers. n/t

[ElboRuum]

21. Not sure I understand your point. n/t

[kestrel91316]

16. Nah. In spite of Bush's best efforts, we still have WAAAYYYY

better food inspection and standards than China.

WAAAAYYYYYYY.

Disclaimer: I have read up on USDA and FDA quite a bit. USDA is the nation's largest employer of veterinarians. My colleagues are in charge of the inspectors and foodborne disease detection/monitoring and ensuring humane treatment of animals at slaughter (when Bush ALLOWS them to do so, of course). Bunch of very dedicated professionals who WANT to do their jobs right and wish they would be permitted free rein.

[Donnachaidh]

3. here's the catch -- *All SINGLE INGREDIENT food items*

They are keeping anything that is not single ingredient items from China. So technically, this is a PR *slight of hand* by Trader Joe's.

Getting rid of part of the China goods, and appearing as if they *listened* to their customers. Trader Joe gets to have it BOTH ways.

[DS1]

4. Let's hope other chains follow suit

then start out-doing each other, and eventually we'll be at that point.

[kath]

9. yeah - how many food items are "single ingredient"?

not very freakin' many, except for bags of veggies or nuts.

[AngryAmish]

26. steak

[unapatriciated]

33. It's major single ingredients and we pulled a lot of popular products from our shelfs.

The type of things excluded would be spices that might be used by another country. Not main ingredients such as fish vegetable, or nuts.
A lot of our customers are upset about losing products they loved. Yes I work for TJ's and I'm proud of this company.

[Kolesar]

55. I don't follow

and yes, I shop at TJs when I am in the area. :)

[gristy]

14. I think it's a start

We'll see where they go next.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

57. Exactly...

And a good start at that. It will take years to wean ourselves from Chinese products.

[texanshatingbush]

20. Nail on the head!! We need more complete identification....

of sources of major ingredients in combo-foods.

THEN we could really see "the market economy at work", with consumers voting with their dollars what they think about the sources of the ingredients.

I, too, never buy foodstuffs which come from China. Does anyone have any non-Chinese sources of water chestnuts, by the way?

[unapatriciated]

32. no and you won't find a quality and reasonable priced source for Edemame either.

What we grow is feed quality.

[semillama]

43. So, wait, are you saying that Trader joe's won't be carrying

edamame anymore? Or any soy products? Man, I'll have to ask someone about this on my next Trader Joe's run.

I love TJ's. The wife and I travel all the way across town to go there, it's our main source of staple foods. I've never had any problems with quality there. Their trail mixes are the best tasting trail mixes I've ever had, and the cookies are downright EVIL, they're so good (the candy cane Jo-jos? what satanic mastermind came up with those???).

At least at TJs in the Midwest, you don't really shop there for produce, but it's a good stop for salad ingredients. The bell peppers in particular are particularly high quality, nice and crunchy and I've never had one that had already started going bad.

Heck, you can even get things like Cafe Feminino there - fair-trade, shade-grown coffee that benefits a South American women's collective for about $7 a can!

It will be very interesting to see what changes on the shelves in the next month.

[unapatriciated]

49. Not all soy products come from china...

but so far the best quality Edamame does and we are no longer carrying it. Sorry...but the company is are looking for a new vendor.

[semillama]

54. Thanks for the info! Keep us updated, since you have an inside scoop.

(as long as you don't mind negative types accusing you of being a shill for the company).

[unapatriciated]

31. I can't let this comment go...

When all the other food stores were having trouble with tainted food from China, not one of Trader Joes products were on the list. The reason is they do not rely on the government to test their products for safety. They do their own quality checks on a regular basis and pull and destroy product that doesn't meet their standards. They do not sell them to a liquidator. If for some reason the product is safe but fails to comply with weight or packaging concerns the product is donated not sold. I worked for a major grocery chain for years and quit after the strike in California because the contract treated new hires like second class citizens. I went to work for TJ's after doing a lot of research on the company. Their integrity surpasses all of the major grocery chains. There is no slight of hand if the product originates out of the U.S. it is labeled what country it comes from. Yes some country's might use China as a source for a few of their ingredients, but TJ's does not trade with china for any food items. I again remind you that they do their own quality control on the products.

Now I could tell you some horror stories about the the grocery store I picketed for four months, but I won't.
So learn a little about TJ's before you slam them.

[xxqqqzme]

39. That strike you mentioned forced me back to Trader Joe's .

(I had moved across town & it wasn't as convenient). I have not gone back to von's or albertson's because the products are so much better @ Trader Joe's. I like that their products are labeled non-GMO too.

When the strike loomed earlier this year, a union rep was @ our DFA meeting. He recommended shopping @ Trader Joe's, Stater's(they settled w/ the union) or Costco.

[Donnachaidh]

44. Was not a slam -- just pointing out the REAL information required by consumers

Give me a break.

In this day and age when all sorts of twisted language is used by PR firms to say one thing while the companies do another - the average consumer NEEDS to parse the language from ALL companies.

Back when the tainted pet food started to be reported, there were all sorts of companies that said they never purchased tainted foods. And several months later, many of those who sang the loudest about having clean foods found they had sold the same foods, under different labels.

Play cheerleader for Trader Joe's all you like. It's a free country. But don't try to shut down discussion of potential problems, that consumers need to be aware of. That sort of "kill the messenger" attitdue cost many pets their lives within the last year.

And Blind Faith in a for-profit corporation of ANY sort is just that -- BLIND. I don't care if the company name is Jesus, Inc. People need to see through the PR.

[unapatriciated]

47. Yes many pet's died but TJ's pet food was not on the tainted list.

Unlike Wal-mart and some other major grocery chains even though our supplier of pet food was not on the list, TJ pulled all dog food. Our customers were not happy about that. TJ's then had it independently tested just to be on the safe side and it was found safe and returned to the shelf. Wal-mart on the other hand whose suppliers were on the list keep pet food products on the shelf because the list was voluntary at first. They did not pull their tainted product until they were forced. I do not have blind faith but I see a company that truly believes and follows their mission statement, It is not all about putting out "PR". You are the one who is shutting down discussion because you don't like what I have to say. I only offered my knowledge if you disagree it's ok. I was there and we pulled product from the shelf long before the other stores did, even though our supplier was not on the list. Our company went the extra mile and had it independently tested just to make sure. TJ's is not political but they really do care about their community.

Here are a few facts about them that made me want to work there:
They encourage re-cycling
They don't sell duck pate or veal
They don't sell cigarettes
They don't sell lottery tickets
All of their brand of Eggs are Cage Free
They don't buy fish from companies that participate in seal clubbing (sometimes we have a shortage of product because of this)
They have one of the best employee benefits packages going that includes domestic partners and families (medical, dental,eye, sick pay, vacation pay know as AR pay and retirement.) I'm talking part time not full time.
Instead of putting product on "manger specials" We pull our perishables early and donate them on a daily basis to local food banks and shelters.
Very involved in the local community as far as donations on a store by store level.

Is there room for improvement you betcha.

So may I suggest you go to Trader Joes.com and let them know about your concerns, I'm sure the company will be glad to address them.

[Fridays Child]

6. k/r

[rhett o rick]

7. I love Trader Joe's. nm

[jmm]

8. Nice to know the day after I find

chicken in my Trader Joe's vegetable fried rice that they're working on their food standards.

[LeftyMom]

23. I found a huge fucking shard of plastic in a frozen taquito from there once.

I contacted them so they could look into it.

They offered to replace the packet of taquitos. They didn't sound real concerned about say, contacting the manufacturer and finding out how inch long chunks of heavy plastic were getting into the food supply.

I was not impressed.

[jmm]

25. I'm looking forward to see what response

if any they send to me. Like I wrote to them overall I've had good experiences with their stuff but some mistakes are unacceptable. There's no excuse for chicken to be in vegetable fried rice that's clearly marked vegan.

[LeftyMom]

27. Yeah, I'd shit a brick if that happened to me.

[gateley]

10. Trader Joe's will get my business whenever possible from now on - thanks! nt

[nam78_two]

11. A step in the right direction

I like Trader Joe's overall-I wish we had one where I live.

[Zorra]

12. I wouldn't eat anything at all that came from China.

And that includes toys.

[lonestarnot]

13. K & R

[lonestarnot]

15. I think that we need to spread the word to cashiers at stores to inform customers if

they have knowledge of food put onto the conveyor belt that it came from China. I would opt to put it back on the shelf if I only came home with a box of fucking crackers.

[DainBramaged]

18. What is a Trader Joe's?

I will not buy Tilapia from the A&P because it comes from China. I read labels now more than ever. I don't trust Chinese food products (except when made in a Chinese restaurant, LOL).

[Trajan]

30. Trader Joe's is a wonderful chain ....

That has direct contracts with many sources, local and otherwise .... It is home of the 'Three Buck Chuck' .... AKA Charles Shaw wines for $2.99 per bottle ....

I shop at TJ's for specific items, like 1 Liter EV Olive Oil (around $6 per bottle), EXCELLENT cheeses, good veggies and fruits and nuts .....

Between Winco, BiMart and TJ's - I am completely SET ....

BTW: I read that Chilean Tilapia was problematic as well ... poor hygienic conditions in the farm ponds ... a build up of waste products (IE shit) eventually saturating the fish.

I have stopped eating Tilapia because of this ..... I have heard that the producers have been 'clearing the water', but Im still reluctant ....

[unapatriciated]

35. It's still Two Buck Chuck In California.

Have a glass and enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE8cVV6NGxM

[MadMaddie]

19. Trader Joes rocks....I like the store a lot.

[Bigmack]

22. YES!!!!!

They're great stores with GOOD, reasonably priced products! Ms Bigmack

[fed-up]

24. so when are they going to ban their "prepackaged" produce items??? huge waste of plastic

why won't they let customers select the quantity and quality of their produce?? The bags are designed to hide the flaws and camaflouge the true color of what the customer is buying. I HATE having the quantity of produce I buy dictated to me..

The prepackaging is designed for one purpose only-the get more $$$ out of consumers wallets no matter the cost to our environment.



The only item I buy at TJs is their organic chicken which is only $2.49 a pound-Raleys is $3.49 and the co-ops is $3.99

[unapatriciated]

34. we have started but it takes time..

We now sell many loose fruits and vegetables in some of our stores. I work for them and since day one I have suggested this too. We use pre packaging because are set up is different we do not have scales at the registers and are not set up for produce codes. Sorry that you have only tried one item visit the Demo station the next time you are at TJ's and try something new.

[xxqqqzme]

40. The Trader Joe's Omega Trail Mix

is a HUGE hit in our house. So much so, everyone got a package in their stocking @ Christmas. It is the first trail mix, I've found, that all the ingredients are good.

[Donnachaidh]

45. so you basically work for Trader Joe's?

that explains alot. :eyes:

[unapatriciated]

50. I stated that from the begining.

I used to work for a major grocery store in california and spent four months on a picket line about three years ago. I didn't like the way the CEO was walmartizing the company so started looking for a new job. I had been with them for many years and the only regret I had was taking a withdrawal card from my union.

[fed-up]

46. most grocery stores that sell produce have scales-lame excuse to kill the environment for profit nt

[unapatriciated]

48. not an excuse

That is one of my major complaints too. I was pointing out how they first started as a small company and didn't have a lot of produce at first. They have started to use produce with less and less packaging and I hope they continue on this road. I agree with your complaint, it is a valid one.

[ckramer]

28. Maybe the customers are just brainwashed by the media

Anti-china is soooo cool. Wow.

[DainBramaged]

29. Wrong, cheap, unregulated Chinese food items are sooo like dangerous to your health

China, the quality comes out before the price comes down.

[davidinalameda]

36. I can go to Safeway and get California grown garlic

how hard would it be for Trader Joe's to carry the same thing?

I rather shop at Safeway

[unapatriciated]

52. I never shop there...

sorry after four months on the picket line and a CEO that thinks the working class are pretty much trash, made my decision for me. For the most part their products are good but the company is run by a bush ranger who hates the working class. So it was personal for me. I worked there many years and my husband lame worked for them 16 years...we both left after the strike. It was a hard to start over again but like I said it was a personal moral decision.

[shanti]

37. woo hoo!

one more reason to love t-joe's!

[praeclarus]

38. garlic capital ...

I live about 30 miles from what used be the garlic capital
of the universe. If the wind was right, on some mornings
you could catch a slight scent of garlic in air. I used to
love that.

A while back I was in the local TJ around here and they
goddam well had garlic from China. It almost made me ill. I
told the store manager about it.

I don't buy produce anymore from Chile, Mexico, Timbuktoo,
and certainly not fucking garlic from China.

[NYC]

41. Gilroy?

In the summer, I buy New York garlic at Union Square. In the supermarket, I have no way of knowing the source of garlic. If it came from Gilroy, California, I would buy it.

[praeclarus]

42. yes, Gilroy ...

It is ridiculous to me that a grocery story practically
within walking distance of Gilroy would be selling garlic
from China.

It is high time this sort of nonsense stopped.

[unapatriciated]

51. Hey I know where you are...

used to live in Mammoth Lakes and passed your exit from the 395 many times. The best damn Garlic ever! Lobby trader joes.com to get the product on the shelfs. love the garlic olives.

[montanto]

53. Love the Gilroy Garlic Fest!