At some point in the early '90s, health-food stores emerged along with their sister bagel shops, coffee houses and sun-dried tomato foccacia bread. I think that the concurring abundance of all such nouveau yuppie destinations, at that particular point in time, probably coincided with me entering into a teenage stage of believing that I really was what I ate. Nonetheless, the taste for sushi, soy foods and Starbucks coffee replaced the former, simple cravings for White Castle and Taco Bell. It was at this time, while on vacation in southern California, that I fell in love with every health-food addict's favorite store: Trader Joe's.
Nutrition stores such as Trader Joe's, despite their late emergence on the scene of American pop-culture (or at least that in central Ohio) were not new grocery retailers. In fact, Trader Joe's has been in the business for more than 40 years. There are branches of this store all over the U.S., and all of them are company owned and operated. As you might guess, Trader Joe's has its roots on the West Coast, yet has expanded since to the East and the Midwest. There are currently stores opening up in Illinios, Ohio and Pennsylvania. And yet, despite they're national expansion, Trader Joe's is not a franchised store. All of their chains are company owned and operated. Their continuing popularity and growth is strong evidence of their lasting consumer appeal.
Trader Joe's maintains their popularity by providing just about anything the healthy heart desires (and even the not-so-healthy heart.) While products range from soy nuts to tofu hot-dogs, there is also a vast array of gourmet delicacies and indulgences. There is every type of cheese to satisfy the true Frenchman at heart, as well as an eclectic selection of wines from around the world. They also boast a wonderful variety of dried fruits, snack foods, health bars, frozen gourmet meals and every type of cookie under the sun. Trader Joe's does sell various odds and ends as well; they've got plants, pots and random household decor items. They're even great promoters of new products; at the end of each checkout lane is a little treat for buyers to try. Sometimes it's Jelly Belly's, and sometimes it's candy that's not-so-tasty. They have a tendency to feature everything from sweet potato chips to ginger chews that taste like you're munching on a root.
If you're looking for something unusual, then you'll probably find it at Trader Joe's as well. They're home to eggs laid by "free-range chickens" and vegetables grown with only the purest organic fertilizer. Speaking of which, after taking a peak at http://www.traderjoes.com, I learned that the company takes its business of providing such immaculately organic foods to its consumers very seriously. The executives of Trader Joe's have taken a firm stance on informing the customer of how their goods were produced. They even delve into the controversial topic of Genetically Modified Foods (GMFs.) Trader Joe's maintains that they are up to date on the latest developments in agricultural advances, and that while they aren't ready to fully stock their stores with mammoth potatoes and apples the size of cantaloupes, they have not written off scientific advancement just yet.
Rather, Trader Joe's believes that "today a lack of government standards or standardized testing related to genetically modified foods prevents us from being able to guarantee what our label would state" Their top priority is that their consumers know everything about the foods they are eating. Everything that they sell is clearly labeled with the ingredients and the factors of production - you'll not only know what your hummus is made of, you'll be given the exact origin of the chick peas and the soil from which they originated.
"Currently, Trader Joe's is seeking information from our suppliers and vendors to determine whether or not the presence of GMO in the products they provide us is knowable. Once we determine this information, we will seek to provide it for our customers so they may make informed buying decisions. This has been and will continue to be our preferred approach absent any clear guidelines from the FDA."
Trader Joe's doesn't, however, allow their customers to know who supplies the "free-range eggs" and the white chocolate soy milk.
"We make agreements with our suppliers not to divulge their names. This is for their benefit and for ours" If Trader Joe's policy of honest labeling is such a big deal, then why are their providers such a big secret?
Now, let's move on to my recommendations. One of my favorite things to buy at Trader Joe's is the dark chocolate-covered espresso beans. There's nothing like a handful of these babies to get you through a night with Milty and your Con-law textbooks. They also have excellent dried cranberries, really nifty spring water (from places you didn't even know had water good enough to bottle) and my favorite kind of Australian red wine. And their extensive selection of herbal supplements, vitamins and nutrition bars are key to everyone's health-conscious diet. I truly would not be surprised if Trader Joe's had an herbal remedy for hangnails.
To most people, the words fat-free, gluten-free, sugar-free and sodium-free are synonymous with taste-free. However, most students are now realizing, as they slowly age their way out of teenage metabolism, that the phrase "you are what you eat" has never been more true.
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