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1. 11.12.09 An Updated Message To Our Customers About Trader Joe's Butcher Shop Ground Beef
2. 10.31.09 A Message To Our Eastern Seaboard Customers About Trader Joe’s Butcher Shop Ground Beef
3. A Note to Our Customers About Trader Joe's Seafood
4. Beware of Bogus Trader Joe's Gift Card Offers Online
6. Trader Joe's Products are Sourced from Non-GMO Ingredients
7. What can I do to keep my pets safe from potentially harmful plants?
7. A Message to Customers Regarding Canadian Seafood and the Seal Hunt Issue
8. A Note About Eggs
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1. 11.12.09 An Updated Message To Our Customers About Trader Joe's Butcher Shop Ground Beef
We at Trader Joe’s take the safety of our customers and the integrity of our products very seriously. We are confident in the quality of all of the items we sell in our stores, including ground beef. All of the items we offer in our stores, meet— if not exceed all government regulations.
Specific to Ground Beef:
- Every Trader Joe’s ground beef batch is tested as safe for consumption. In most cases, our suppliers take several samples from each lot and have both internal and 3rd party lab testing conducted.
- Our ground beef suppliers receive certificates of analysis accompanied with the incoming trim to validate that the trim tested is free of pathogens. Going forward, Trader Joe’s suppliers are required to provide these trim test certificates of analysis to validate samplings. In addition, we are in the process of working with our suppliers in order to conduct our own third party trim testing. These discussions are being taken place presently.
- Our quality assurance and buying teams regularly visit our third party ground beef suppliers to review their facilities in order to help ensure that all specifications from raw materials, comprehensive security plans, proper testing is in place, certificate of analysis confirmations to packaging specifications are being followed. Vendors will be removed from doing business with Trader Joe’s if their quality system programs do not pass our company’s quality assurance and/or buying team audits.
- Nearly 50% of the available ground beef products we offer in our stores are from suppliers who do not use trim in the product. These items are ground with whole muscle cuts. However, we still have all ground beef batches for these items tested by our supplier internally and daily by a third party lab for verification purposes.
Regarding the October 31, 2009 Fairbank Farms recall, our understanding is that although the third party tests conducted on our ground beef items in question concluded that our items were and are safe for consumption, we were grouped in a plant-wide voluntary recall as an extreme precautionary measure. Within the 540,000 pounds of recalled ground meat, Trader Joe’s was supplied with less than 1% from the lot in question. In addition, from what we have been told by Fairbank Farms, NONE of the reported illnesses and deaths potentially linked to this recent ground beef recall are linked to Trader Joe’s ground beef items.
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2. 10.31.09 A Message To Our Eastern Seaboard Customers About Trader Joe’s Butcher Shop Ground Beef
To our valued customers: We have been alerted by our supplier of Trader Joe’s Butcher Shop Ground Beef that the following products sold only in our MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, MD, DE, DC, NC, VA & PA stores are being included in a plant-wide recall as an extreme precautionary measure:
- Trader Joe’s 85/15 Ground Beef, sku 90403
(Sell by Dates Oct 6 and 7, 2009 only)
- Trader Joe’s 80/20 Ground Beef , sku 90404
(Sell by Dates Oct 6 and 7, 2009 only)
- Trader Joe’s 99/4 Ground Beef Patty, sku 90405
(Sell by Dates Sept 27 and 28, 2009 only)
- Trader Joe’s 85/15 Ground Beef Patty, sku 90406
(Sell by Dates Sept 27 and 28, 2009 only)
All tests conducted indicate that these Trader Joe’s Ground Beef items are safe for consumption. Because they were produced in the same facility of another recalled item, the USDA is notifying the public as an extreme precaution. No illnesses associated with the Trader Joe’s Ground Beef products listed above have been reported to date.
We take the safety of our customers and the integrity of our products very seriously. Customers who have purchased any of these items can return them to any Trader Joe’s for a full refund.
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3. A Note to Our Customers About Trader Joe's Seafood
As we've often mentioned, we listen to our customers. Hearing recent feedback, our goal is to offer seafood options that fit customer needs ranging from food safety and taste, to concern over the environment.
This is not a new development for us. For example, we stopped selling Chilean Sea Bass in 2005 because of customer feedback.
To continue in our efforts to support this goal, we intend to use the Monterey Bay Aquarium's science-based and research-backed "Seafood Watch" recommendations to help with our seafood purchasing decisions.
When we do offer seafood species on the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch "red" or "avoid" list, we undertake additional steps to fully understand the ways in which those items come to market to be sure they fit with our customers' needs and concerns. We're also evaluating alternatives to those red list species.
As with all the decisions we make about the products we offer, this is an ongoing process. We look forward to sharing our progress with our customers.
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4. Beware of Bogus Trader Joe's Gift Card Offers Online
To our valued customers: It has been brought to our attention that an organization has appropriated our name in association with an offering for a $500 Trader Joe's Gift Card in order to phish for information. Trader Joe's has NO association with this organization and we are actively attempting to get our name removed from these misleading promotions. Please be aware that we do not do any advertising or promotions on the Internet. The only means we use to communicate with our customers online is via our website, www.traderjoes.com, and our e-newsletter, which you will only receive if you have elected to via our "Newsletter Sign-up." We protect the privacy of the information our customers share with us, and we will never ask for our customers to provide any personal or financial details in our communications.
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6. Trader Joe's Products are Sourced from Non-GMO Ingredients
Our customers can be assured that all products in Trader Joe's private label are sourced from non-genetically modified ingredients. Our efforts began in 2001, when we determined that, given a choice, our customers would prefer to eat foods and beverages made without the use of genetically engineered ingredients. Our process has been to identify any product containing ingredients that could potentially be derived from genetically engineered crops and work with our suppliers to replace offending ingredients with acceptable alternatives.
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7. What can I do to keep my pets safe from potentially harmful plants?
Some pets have a penchant for chewing on plants! Being naturally curious and not always as persnickety about what they eat, pets will often chew on plants that are NOT safe to eat.
To ensure the safety of your pets, it is important to be able to identify the plants in your home and yard, to know what plants to keep out of your pets' reach and to be aware of what the consequences are if your pet were to ingest a harmful plant. There are many resources available via your veterinary and other animal focused organizations that will help you learn more about how to keep your plant and pets in harmony. Want to get started now? Check out: http://www.sniksnak.com/plants.html * The more you know, the safer your pets will be.
*Trader Joe's has no affiliation with sniksnak.com
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7. A Message to Customers Regarding Canadian Seafood and the Seal Hunt Issue
The Issue: It's been reported that some fishermen off Canada's East coast near Newfoundland kill baby seals in the off-season from fishing.
We looked into this, and we think it's important to tell you that we do not purchase any seafood items from the areas where the killing of seals is taking place. Our seafood products that are labeled "Product of Canada," come from reputable suppliers on Canada's West coast, or come from Alaska and are simply processed on Canada's West coast. None of these suppliers are involved in the seal hunt. In addition, we have no plans to purchase any seafood products from the East coast of Canada.
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8. A Note About Eggs
At Trader Joe's we listen to what our customers tell us about the choices we give them. Thanks to their valued feedback, in 2005 we made an important change in our egg selection. As of this time, all Trader Joe's brand eggs come only from cage-free hens. Now customers looking for cage-free eggs need to look no further than the Trader Joe's label. Any conventional eggs sold in our stores are in a brand name carton, not under the Trader Joe's label.
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