Comments on Jenn's review of Trader Joe's
TJ's is good for some things...
Trader Joe's is good for certain types of purchases -- mainly, the kinds of packaged foods that you can't really buy in bulk or which you are too lazy to make at home:
- Pacific Almond Milk ($20.28 for a case of 12, compared to $30.08 less 10% at Rainbow Grocery or $24 at Whole Foods on sale)
- Wine (local and imported)
- Bread (lots of good local bakeries represented) and "Now and Zen" vegan cinnamon rolls.
I am perpetually aghast that they package produce as they do, and most of it comes from Chile and other such far away places. The true cost of buying produce from such distances is not reflected in the price you pay at TJ's. Just don't do it. And stay away from the frozen food aisle - that crap is just bad for you.
Jenn's keywords: Trader Joe, packaged food, grocery store
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K S. says:
Setting aside the environmental detriments of food from far-away, not all frozen food is "crap." Vegetables and fruits frozen at the source without salt and sugar are just as healthful as fresh ones. They are also often more affordable (compare frozen broccoli florets to fresh) and the only way people in some parts of the country can get certain foods at any sort of reasonable price. Frozen meats are also generally more affordable than fresh.
This next bit is a general comment, not aimed at you Jenn: part of the real problem is that we demand all the foods, all the time. Almost nothing is seasonal any more, and the year-round demand for fresh strawberries, peaches, asparagus, oysters, watermelon, & other foods that used to be seasonal is part of what drives the demand for foreign produce, unsustainably harvested shellfish, & other production methods that are so derided by environmentalists. The fact is, not long ago the only berries available to many Americans outside of summer were the frozen variety, & likely from their own freezers. Only 20 years ago, my mother would "put up" peaches in the freezer so we could enjoy them at the holidays--and that was in the South, a peach-producing region--because off-season they either weren't available or were imported & too expensive. I don't have facts and figures, but it seems that the consumer's mindset of wanting anything one could possibly imagine to be available at the grocery store every day of the year is partly responsible for the importation of produce.
Jenn A. says:
Not all frozen food is crap but most of the stuff in the TJ's frozen food section is prepared/packaged stuff. That's the bad stuff - lots of calories and not much organic going on.
I preserve lots of things in the freezer -- it's a great way to have green peas and strawbs in the winter. However, I strongly recommend against all the convenience foods in the freezer section (seriously - why should a single potato patty have 200 calories? Blech.
I do agree with you - the industrialization of food has created unrealistic expectations and a high degree of connectedness to the seasonality and actual availability of food. Buy local, buy organic and buy in season and put up as much stuff as you can (see also my blog - I'm going to be canning peaches very soon http://jennconspiracy.blogspot.com/)