7 Ingredients You’ll Never Find in Trader Joe’s Products

No MSG here.

There are many things to love about Trader Joe’s, including the unique selection of products, reasonable prices, and delicious free samples. Another reason why many consumers continue to shop at TJ’s involves what the chain doesn’t put in its products, such as artificial flavors and MSG.

On the latest episode of the Insider Trader Joe’s podcast, co-hosts Matt Sloan, vice president of marketing at TJ’s, and Tara Miller, marketing director at the grocery store chain, went through a handful of the ingredients you won’t find in any of the items on TJ’s shelves. “We have a list of ingredients that we simply do not allow to be used in our private label products,” Miller explained, noting that many of these banned ingredients are often used by other food brands. As she put it, “Those are ingredients that are used in food products by manufacturers all over the country and the world.”

According to Sloan, many of the ingredients Trader Joe’s has decided not to use in its products is a result of customer feedback. For example, when shoppers expressed concern over high fructose corn syrup, TJ’s stopped stocking and selling products made with the overly sweet substance. Want to know what else you won’t find in Trader Joe’s products? Keep reading for more!

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Synthetic Colors

“We don't use synthetic colors in our private label products. We used to say we don't use artificial colors, but because there isn't really a defined understanding of what artificial might mean to various people [we now say synthetic colors,]” Miller explained. So how do Trader Joe’s foods like the Super Sour Scandinavian Swimmers and Organic Pink Lemonade get those bright shades? It’s all natural. “If we are using a coloring agent to add a hue to food or beverage, it is a naturally derived color, so it might be from beet juice, or it might be from carrots or spinach,” Miller added. As Sloan pointed out, you can even dye foods bright blue using spirulina—a type of edible algae.

Artificial Flavors

The same goes for artificial flavors, which you also won’t find in anything on Trader Joe’s shelves. According to Sloan, while TJ’s uses plenty of colors, flavors, and preservatives in its products, you won’t see anything with the word “artificial” in front of any of those terms. Instead, the brand flavors its items with ingredients that make sense. The Sparkling Green Tea with Pineapple, for example, is understandably flavored with real green tea and pineapple juice, while the Non-Dairy Pumpkin Oat Beverage gets its distinct flavor from pumpkin purée, natural pumpkin-spice flavor, cane sugar, and a little sea salt for balance.

Artificial Preservatives

Artificial preservatives include ingredients such as sodium nitrite and propyl paraben, neither of which you will find on the ingredient list of a Trader Joe’s products. However, Miller and Sloan did mention that many TJ’s products contain salt, which in addition to bringing plenty of flavor to just about everything, acts as a natural preservative. As Sloan noted, this is why you’ll find salt in items like soups and chips. “The sodium reading on that nutrient fact label on the package, that's information that you can use to make a choice for you,” he shared.

Related: 4 Things You’ll Never See at Trader Joe’s, According to the CEO

MSG

Speaking of preservatives, this is another one you won’t find in a single Trader Joe’s product. “We don't use MSG as a preservative in our products,” Miller stated. While Sloan pointed out that MSG has several functions, including adding flavor to foods, he explained that it’s not in anything TJ’s sells as a result of customer feedback.

High Fructose Corn Syrup

High fructose corn syrup is yet another ingredient that shoppers aren’t fans of, which is why Trader Joe’s no longer uses it in its products. “High fructose corn syrup was something that got a lot of negative attention,” he explained. “We heard from customers that they didn't want to see it and we don't use that.” Sloan also mentioned that the list of ingredients TJ’s doesn’t use is always evolving, and hinted that it may soon include other potentially harmful sweeteners.

Partially Hydrogenated Oils

Since January 2020 the FDA has banned companies in the U.S. from adding partially hydrogenated oils to foods, which is why Trader Joe’s no longer uses them in its products. Since partially hydrogenated oils are the major source of harmful trans fats, which can elevate bad cholesterol and increase one’s chance of having a heart attack, it’s not a surprise that they’re no longer used.

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Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

“We don't use [GMOs], based on customer feedback, and that's been an interesting thing as it relates to even something like a tortilla chip,” Sloan shared. As he explained, tortilla chips are made with corn, and much of the corn produced is grown from genetically modified or bioengineered seed sources. In other words, in order to produce something such as a tortilla chip, Trader Joe’s must source corn that’s non-GMO.

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