An article earlier this month in a food news website called Eater revealed the companies that produce several of Trader Joe’s beloved products. Most of the time people don’t care which companies are behind the private label brands we buy in the grocery store, but since Trader Joe’s won’t fess us, and since suppliers are sworn to secrecy, it is indeed a big deal to some.
The folks at Eater used Freedom of Information Act requests to obtain FDA and USDA recalls and alerts that mentioned Trader Joe’s, and the results revealed dozens of companies that supply, or have supplied, products for the popular retailer. For instance…
Pistachios – Wonderful Pistachios
Hummus – Tribe Mediterranean Foods
Smoothies and other assorted beverages – Naked Juice
Pita Chips – Stacy’s Simply Naked Pita Chips
Gluten-free chocolate chip cookies – Tate’s Bake Shop
Pretzel Slims and dark chocolate pretzels – Snack Factory
Organic animal crackers – Stauffer’s
Of the items above, the only one that’s more expensive at Trader Joe’s compared to the name brand was the animal crackers. On average, the Trader Joe’s products were 37 percent less expensive than their brand-name versions.
For more information, visit eater.com.