1) Yes
2) Tucson
3) Yes, TJ’s is becoming unfriendly to single people, also in their dated products. Unless, of course, I could shop daily.
4) Some fruits and vegetables, but less so than packaged.
5) Organic: Zuccini, yellow squash, butternut squash, grapes, apples, tomatoes, potatoes of all kinds, avocados, citrus, peppers, cucumbers, jicama, onions, … I could probably think of more. But you get the point.
6) Sign a petition and forward it, if it’s to the corporate leaders. Local management doesn’t always have much power though they listen.

Also, send them the attached audio comedy act! Brilliant and hilariously serious!

1) Yes
2) Santa Barbara
3) Yes, most of the local stores offer package-free produce
4) Apples, bell peppers, onions and tomatoes
5) Squash, zucchini, fresh garlic and asparagus
6) Sign a petition, write a letter, and take pictures of packaging and speak to a store manager

Please tell me how I can be a part of this!! TJs is the only grocery store in my neighborhood (I live in DC) and I shop there almost exclusively. It’s super affordable and has great products which I love buuut the plastic thing really grinds my gears. I find the packaged produce to be the worst offender, and while some veggies come in plastic and non plastic options (as the pictures in this article show), I find myself purchasing way more plastic than necessary. I would be open to signing a petition, writing a letter, posting pics to fb, etc!!

Thank you so much!! Yes!!!! I shop at Trader Joes – in Seattle and I love the store while really hating how much plastic packaging they use. I think that they over package their produce (wrapped bell peppers on trays is really irritating!) Also, if they must use packaging – I think they should lead the way with biodegradable forms of packaging. It seems to me that Trader Joes uses way more packaging than the other stores I shop at. I have been thinking of starting a petition and would be thrilled if you did. Also, there is a finally a surge a anti-plastic success stories with many places banning straws and plastic containers. I feel like it’s a great time to push Trader joe’s on this subject. I could see online and physical petitions. I actually think that any and all of the above mentioned tactics are good. Perhaps also a webpage with the facts about Trader Joe’s packaging along with the contact info for the company and people can write emails based on the facts and suggestions. (I have written letters based on this kind of thing at the Wilderness Committee’s website in BC Canada and it’s very helpful)
I think that for starters a petition is a great place to start and I, for one, would send it out as much as possible!
Thanks!

hi! im so glad i found you…of course i been trying to figure out where and if some of the packages and fruit cribs can be recycled, still looking for the answer, but yes please lets help Trader Joes get green! i live in Los Angeles and it really kills me that most of their packaging is not recyclable to the point of avoiding shopping there!, here the custom is that if its not organic is not packaged so all the organics are in those bags or the stupid nets! HELP!!! all the chips are in this weird bags that are a mix of like metalic paper plastic, that unfortunately isnt recyclable either…. :( so yes it is coming down to only buying from the farmers in our own containers but thats difficult also because of the prices…i dont want to bury trash on Moma Eart but my pocket is hurting!!!!…what to do???

1) Yes 2)Tacoma, WA 3)Yes. It’s not just the produce either. Some things are sold in such small quantities and in plastic. Things like rice, beans, sugar, trail mix, mineral water, frozen foods, etc. 4) Yes, apples, melon, squash, citrus, and bananas. 5) Produce, all of it. 6) I’m willing to do most things, but I don’t have a lot of time. I have two small kids.

Thank you for this post. I love Trader Joes, but have just decided to go plastic-free and can no longer shop there. I just sent them an email. I know it would not be enough for a difference, but every voice matters!

1) Yes, I do 2) at the University of Southern California Village location and the College Ave location in Oakland 3) Yes, it’s worse than Safeway, Berkeley Bowl, and Whole Foods 4) Yes, they offer most of their fruits and some of their vegetables unpackaged, but they also have packaged options 5)Zucchini does not need to be packaged nor does cucumber, none of the produce should come in packaging except maybe greens! 6)I would sign a petition, write a letter, forward the petition, collect packaging, and take photos

1) Do you shop at Trader Joe’s? Yes, occasionally
2) If so, where? What area of the country? Please be as specific as you feel comfortable being. I travel. I have in Northern NJ and Santa Cruz, CA
3) Do you think Trader Joe’s produce packaging is actually worse than other stores in your area? Why or why not? Yes, more packaged produce than loose at Tjs.
4) Does your Trader Joe’s offer any produce that is not wrapped in plastic? If so, what kinds of things? I think so- banana, apple, pear
5) What items are the worst offenders? What items would you love to see sold unpackaged? Tomatoes, cucumbers. Both of these I bought and they molded too quickly from Tjs, so quality and freshness need to improve too.
6) If we started a campaign, what which of the following things would you be willing to do?
I would sign and forward a petition. I could send a letter with a template and instructions on where to send.

Hope that helps if you’re still looking for responses!

RE: Plastic wrapped organic foods. I saw this ad on Facebook and would think packers of food (stores) could find this product in larger sizes and replace it for the toxic plastic they use now https://www.shopetee.com/pages/reusable-food-wrap-offer

when I Googled this topic your article popped up. you did an excellent job of laying out the problem at Trader Joe’s. to my knowledge no leafy greens are without plastic packaging at Trader Joe’s these days. Mixed greens are a mainstay of most people’s healthy diets. I will write a letter to my local Trader Joe’s and also send an e-mail to the company headquarters. thanks for taking all the time you did to put together a very fair representation of how Trader Joe’s is handing its produce.

Set the Produce Free!!! My nearest TJs are in Plano, TX and McKinney TX. They have a lot of plastic wrapped produce. The Kroger stores in my area of Allen, TX also have a lot of plastic wrapped and boxed produce. I’m so proud of the Kroger stores for stepping up and supplying a large assortment of organic produce, but why does it have to be wrapped in plastic?

I like the idea of using plastic wrap, I would much rather start a recycle thing than eat food that has pesticides and wax on them. The wax just keeps the pesticides on the food for you.
In case you haven’t looked around the store you shop in people handle the food a lot and the plastic not only keeps the food fresher, it helps to keep some of the nasty bacteria and germs off the food. easier to wash food that isn’t coated with wax as well.
Just think next time you buy some food that is sitting there how many people don’t wash there hands after going to the bathroom, just blew their nose, handled something really dirty and are now stocking and touching the very food your going to eat, and this happens all the way from the field its picked in to the store shelf.
The best food is from a farmers market which has less ex-poser to people and the nasty chemicals. Your never going to get perfect food unless you grow your own garden, in which case I hope you don’t live where there is snow.
In the end you might think plastic is so bad, then recycle it. The people handling your food might be the worse of two evils.

I hope this effort is not dead! I would love for this campaign to get some traction, especially in light of the recent expose in MotherJones magazine about the shocking prevalence of estrogenic chemicals, not just BPA, in so many plastics.
1) Do you shop at Trader Joe’s? Yes
2) If so, where? What area of the country? Culver City, CA
3) Do you think Trader Joe’s produce packaging is actually worse than other stores in your area? Why or why not? Yes. Many of the more mainstream grocery stores, both east and west coast from what I have seen, offer many more unpackaged produce options. They also offer at least some bulk items.
4) Does your Trader Joe’s offer any produce that is not wrapped in plastic? If so, what kinds of things? Yes, some. Basically the ones described in your post.
5) What items are the worst offenders? What items would you love to see sold unpackaged? Broccoli, beans, herbs, peppers. Also, I recently learned from folk in the waste & recycling management field that those plastic mesh bags are a disaster for recycling centers, so I’d love to see those gone. Other things that aren’t easily recyclable would be great to get rid of too- plastic films, #5-7 plastics, those weird plastic napkin things. And like other folks, I’d love if there were bulk items.
6) If we started a campaign, what which of the following things would you be willing to do? Any of it I believe. While I am in favor of collaboration before confrontation, I have wondered if it might have an impact to have customers unpackage their items and then leave (or return) the packaging for TJ’s to deal with the disposal!
Thank you so much for this.

I don’t think Trader Joe’s is not the only store who use excessive parasitic to package their products. Wallmart, Sam’s club, Ralphs, etc not much difference. I hope people are not studied enough to say “after X amount of parasitic it is considered too much—“. They do take care of employee and the majority of customers use reusable grocery bags too. I’m sure Trader Joe’s is going to make change. But I am so curious — why all of a sudden people start to talk about Trader Joe’s parasitic use????? I want to find out what group started and who they get their fundings from.

pre-packaged produce often costs more too – because they’ve packed it for you. Convenience gone mad.

Trader Joe’s “Organic Baby Spinach” is in a sealed #7 plastic bag!
#7 plastic can contain toxic bisphenol-A (BPA).
This can’t be good. Shame on Trader Joes.

Hey everyone… right now, the Plastic Pollution Coaligion has a petition going to ask Trader Joe’s to reduce produce packaging. This is a good start. Let’s all sign it and forward it. We need to do more… but let’s see how this goes first. https://www.causes.com/actions/1737276-demand-that-trader-joes-end-the-use-of-excessive-plastic-packaging

Beth,
We should tackle Fresh & Easy too. I stopped shopping there because they sell live turtles to customers in China and they refuse to stop this practice. Maybe they will stop wrapping everything in plastic if we add them to the action. I will send you some video and photos of how much plastic they use in the produce section. They are worse than Trader Joe’s

&2) I shop at Trader Joe’s in Winston-Salem, NC. Our TJ’s opened a month ago and we were all pretty thrilled. Then my family read Garbology, watched Bag It, and started learning about the health and environmental dimensions of food packaging. Now we’re afraid we’ll have to swear off our favorite new finds.

3) TJ’s produce packaging is surely worse than any of my other local options (Whole Foods, Fresh Market, farmer’s markets, and the big-box stores). Plus, TJ’s doesn’t offer any bulk bins, so those products that I’d normally scoop into glass or paper are ultra-plasticized.

4) Our TJ’s doesn’t wrap bananas and offers some loose apples, limes, avocados and greens/herbs alongside packaged counterparts, but 5) I just don’t think there’s a reason to bag up hard produce like apples, and the addition of bulk bins would enable me to buy TJ favorites like nuts and dried fruit (which TJ’s does better than any other market I’ve seen, because they have no-sugar, no-sulfate options for almost everything) without generating or buying into pounds of plastic waste.

6) If we started a campaign, I’d sign and forward a petition, speak to a manager, write a letter, and/or take packaging pics.

I’m shocked! Why does it get to this extent? I live in Australia and am getting annoyed at the ever increasing amount of produce that is beginning to be sold packaged. But I have yet to see such an extent as your photos display. While I do not buy fruit n veg in big name supermarkets which cart most of their stuff around the continent even they provide mixed lettuce, loose baby spinach etc that you can collect what you need yourself from big tubs alongside their bags of it. If not loose, I can still get my potatoes in paper bags stitched closed with cotton string. It’s nice to walk in a shop and SEE fruit and vegetables rather than plastic. Even better if they have misting sprays overhead to help maintain freshness that add an extra appeal to customers in hot summers.

I suppose the biggest offenders I see are herbs, mushrooms (while most are available loose as well as packed the more unusual are not eg oyster mushrooms which bruise easy) and cherry tomatoes, oh and that cucumber everyone knows about. Only one place I found so far selling cherry tomatoes loose by the kilo in season (I now grow my own, they are easy and grow year round here). Also garlic. I carry concern about garlic. We can grow garlic so well here but most do not (which makes it very expensive when you do find it locally grown) simply because it is cheaply and easily obtained from overseas, plastic net wrapped (eg. China, same as yours) or plastic wrapped in a big pack to be sold loose. No garlic needs to plastic wrapped just like potatoes and squash etc.

While nothing needs to be in plastic it is strange that most shops even here will define the organic produce by wrapping it in plastic and price labeling it. Mainly in big stores though as many more conscious small stores here will offer loose at an “organic zone” within store or at least in paper bags.

Broccoli? Really? Aren’t people going to wash their produce anyway? I’ve luckily not seen that wrapped yet.

I hope people will encourage your store to make changes, they are big stores with a big impact. Start with popular long lasting produce like potatoes. That on its own will be amazing progress and they are not an issue of freshness like other things such as lettuce.

I will keep bringing things to attention in my stores. It makes a difference.

I just want to add that as I’ve recently started shopping at Walmart (albeit reluctantly), they have less plastic wrapped produce. Not a lot less, Walmart’s pretty awful about this, but they do have less.

1) Yes
2)Tempe, Arizona
3) For many fruits and vegetables, yes. They have far more glass bottled sauces, jams, etc, but for vegetables they are filled with plastic
4 & 5) Yes – individual fruits, such as apples, pears, avacados, peaches, and individual vegetables like potatoes, onions, and bell peppers. While I can see the utility of plastic wrapping things like spinach (especially considering TJ’s doesn’t sell by weight), I see no reason to shrink wrap individual heads of brocolli, cucumbers or pairs of squash.
6) If we started a campaign, what which of the following things would you be willing to do?
Collect product packaging and Take pictures of packaging at Trader Joe’s and email it (I am still holding out from joining Facebook.)

Hey Beth, I am a designer student in San Francisco State University, and I am currently working on the Trader Joe’s plastic packaging for one of my classes. A part of my project is to research the problem and to create an alternative solution. If it works out, I’ll try to work with Trader Joe’s to substitute the current harmful practices. Here is my project’s blog: http://juliagrosman.blogspot.com
stay tuned :)

Hey Beth, I sent a message to TJ’s telling them I’d like to be able to take home less plastic from their stores and asked them to contact you.

Here are my answers to your questions:

1) Do you shop at Trader Joe’s? 2) If so, where? What area of the country? Please be as specific as you feel comfortable being.

Yes, in Concord, CA.

3) Do you think Trader Joe’s produce packaging is actually worse than other stores in your area? Why or why not?

Not sure in general, but in produce, definitely yes. More plastic packaging of produce than either Safeway or my local produce market.

4) Does your Trader Joe’s offer any produce that is not wrapped in plastic? If so, what kinds of things?

The items you showed above are all I can think of.

5) What items are the worst offenders? What items would you love to see sold unpackaged?

Produce is the only thing I’d like to see unpackaged. For other things, I’d like to see genuinely recyclable, reusable or biodegradable packaging. I know it’ll take some serious research to offer TJ’s some practical alternatives there.

6) If we started a campaign, what which of the following things would you be willing to do?
Any of the things you listed. I’d also be willing to do research into what alternative packaging might be practical for TJ’s, although I might need some guidance from you on where and how to do that research.

TJ’s used to be my favorite place to shop, since I could buy organic produce at lower prices than anywhere else around me. After reading the book and blog however, my eyes are opened in a whole new way and I am re-evaluating my plastic-steeped life (which I used to think was really green!). So I am looking to alternatives to TJ’s. My issue is that my family is also on a budget and organic is a huge priority to me. Our farmers markets don’t have many organic farmers (only one at the market I go to, and she doesn’t come on the day I go!) and the other local stores have organic produce priced much higher. :-( How do I make a plastic free/organic life more budget friendly??? Also, as wonderful as it is that TJ’s has some produce out of the wrappers, those items are often very over-priced (more than $1 per apple vs $5 for a whole bag!) and often are not the organic items anyways.

Also, in response to “me” regarding GMOs: there is a huge difference between GMOs and cross-breeding two plants as, among other sketchy things, GMOs will put animal DNA into our plant foods. Additionally there has been animal testing that shows some of those pesticides now engrained in the plants’ DNA can harm the animal that eats it, causing digestive and other health problems. No thanks. I’ll take bugs on my plants any day, even if the leaves are full of holes.

1) Do you shop at Trader Joe’s?YES 2) If so, where? Milwaukee, WI 3) Do you think Trader Joe’s produce packaging is actually worse than other stores in your area? Sometimes, depends on the product and the store I’m comparing to. My local co-op has many more organic options plastic-free but the big-name store doesn’t. For conventional produce all other stores have less packaging. 4) Does your Trader Joe’s offer any produce that is not wrapped in plastic? Yes, apples, bananas, avocados, peppers, grapefruit, pears. 5) What items are the worst offenders? everything.. What items would you love to see sold unpackaged? broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, beans and peas and have the prices on-par with the packaged items!! 6) If we started a campaign, what which of the following things would you be willing to do?
Sign a petition YESWrite a letterYESSpeak to a store managerYESForward the petition to all of your contacts via email or social mediaYESContact organizations that might be interested in helping spread the wordYESCollect produce packaging from Trader Joe’s (assuming this is stuff you would have bought anyway) to be used for an actionYES

While I applaud your concern with reducing plastic use, your statement on GMOs is ignorant. A lot of GMO produce is developed precisely in order to reduce the use of chemicals. Some traits are selected in order to make plants more resilient in poorer soil – thus reducing the need for chemical fertilizers. Other traits make the plants more resistant to pests – thus reducing the need for spraying with insect repellents, fungicides and the like.
If you are concerned about chemical use in our food supply (as you should be) then you should be supporting GMO – which is really no different than selecting and cross breeding plants for desirable traits.

It would be good for TJ’s to see how much business they are losing, because of this one issue. I went from shopping mostly at TJ’s to only buying the foods they offer that are not packaged. I only shop organic so it has become really limited. My local does sell a few unpackaged organic items. On the other hand they have plenty of regular produce that is unpackaged. I guess they don’t trust their customers. This week I went to get grape juice and yes that too is now in plastic, another lost customer!

less plastic packaging! Particularly produce.

Yes, I would like MUCH less prepacking of fresh produce.

Yes yes and yes, but they probably pre-package at their distribution point to save $$$ in the retail locations. Don’t like prepack veggies though so don’t buy them.

I would love to see this happen.

1) No
I don’t shop at Trader Joe’s, mainly because I feel that they market to people who think of themselves as environmentalists, while having products that are anything but environmentally friendly. I would love Trader Joe’s to practice what it seems to want to preach, and be able to shop there, so for this I’d be willing to stop in to my local store.
2) Stockton, CA is my nearest store
3) Yes. Safeway and Raley’s both have more produce with less packaging. Safeway and Raleys also sell their own bread at least in paper bags, so there’s at least one option without plastic. TJ’s has all their bread in plastic. And the TJ salads are just ridiculous.
4) A few items, I’d have to visit again and take notes to be sure. I also suspect that the unpackaged items are more expensive, rather like at Safeway where an unpackaged potato is 0.99/lb and a ten pound bag of potatoes is five dollars.
5) I wanted to buy leeks and cucumbers and they were both shrink wrapped. I believe I also saw shrink wrapped bananas (and nature packages them so well, too!). Generally, the veggies were worse off than the fruits, again, I’d have to return and take notes.
6) Sign a petition, forward a petition, take pictures, write letters

I don’t want to burden you with work but I would absolutely love to see such a campaign take off because Trader Joe’s is one of the few grocery options we have around UCLA besides Ralphs. It’s a stepping stone for many I know between stores like Ralphs and the real healthy and sustainable venues like farmers markets. I’m going to bring this up at my Sustainability Club meeting tonight and am hoping to hear a lot of support!

1) Do you shop at Trader Joe’s?
Yes, usually for convenience foods like crackers and tater tots. They’re often more affordable than other stores (especially their produce) and they’re always so friendly. I’ve also dumpster dived at TJoe’s
2) If so, where? What area of the country? Please be as specific as you feel comfortable being.
I shop at the one in Westwood near UCLA and also near my apartment near Olympic.
3) Do you think Trader Joe’s produce packaging is actually worse than other stores in your area? Why or why not?
It definitely can be. I’ve seen more loose produce at other stores and I’ve only seem vacuum-sealed cucumbers at Trader Joe’s, not even Ralphs! Sometimes they get away with it because their packaging looks so nice but I also see a LOT of things wrapped in a tray and then also wrapped in plastic.
4) Does your Trader Joe’s offer any produce that is not wrapped in plastic? If so, what kinds of things?
Bell peppers, brussel sprouts, onions, lemons
5) What items are the worst offenders? What items would you love to see sold unpackaged?
Cucumbers, some bell peppers (where they have the peppers on a tray with a napkin then wrapped in platic), general greens (I can’t get any salad greens not packaged), cilantro, beans, sprouts, the list goes on
6) If we started a campaign, what which of the following things would you be willing to do?
ALL of them! Especially with a group of impassioned students behind me who make up a lot of their business!

yes! way too much packaging when these items can easily be sold package free!

Absolutely, it is a huge problem and is why I typically do not buy my produce from TJs. With that said, mine sells organic milk packaged in a 100% paper carton–no TetraPak bullshit.with the plastic screwcap.

My guilty TJ purchases (re: plastic wrapping): cheese, yogurt, maple mini-wheat cereal.
Happy TJ purchases (paper wrapping): milk, cous-cous.

I am very glad this was brought up because every time I walk in Trader Joes I am always sad to see everything wrapped in plastic. Its nice to hear other people feel this way as well. My boyfriend has the theory that it may be to reduce theft but I have no idea if he really believe that or if he was just trying to justify or if it is even true for that matter. (1) I shop occassionally at Trader Joes (mainly for junk food and such similar to Jennifer) but I would shop there more if there wasn’t so much plastic packaging involved. Especially because they have some great prices on things which would be a help to my wallet. (2) Massachusetts (3) Yes I think its much worse because there are only a few items not in some sort of plastic bag (4) There are a few…apples, bananas, grapefruits, clementines (4) I can’t think of one specific item that is the worse. I would essentially just like to have more options of packaging free things (5) I would be willing to help out in any way necessary

Haha that is hilarious. I’ve always thought it’s pretty rediculous how much stuff is packaged in plastic. Have you ever seen those packages of Candy that have like each individual life saver packaged in its own peice of plastic. Its rediculous and frankly its wierd and im ashamed and surprized if the consumer market has actually driven these trends. Zack Terry

yes! i never buy their produce. it’s imported mainly too. and it’s not just the plastic itself that’s bad–since stuff is packaged together, if one of, say, three avocados goes bad, they throw them all away! that’s part of the reason why their dumpsters are so plentiful.

It wasn’t too long ago I could buy juice in glass bottles there. Now it seems to be all plastic containers.

you so totally bet i would! all that plastic packaging (ESPECIALLY for the produce) was just too much – we quit shopping there over 12 months ago. organic veggies (ANY veggies) in plastic is so wrong!

That’s funny you posted this today because I was just talking to my dad today and he was talking about Trader Joe’s and I told him I don’t shop there because they overpackage.

Most of their stuff seems to be imported from S. America, Europe and Asia…their carbon footprint can’t be small. Sure, I’d be up for reducing their packaging.

Trader joes has a funny distribution system of their own, which i’m not certain but i think it reduces overall carbon footprint. but it might be something worth pursuing anyways, to make them re-think how to do both less plastic and less carbon.

This is crazy! VT doesn’t have any Trader Joes, but the stores we do have (Hannaford, Price Chopper, Shaws) all use way, WAY less packaging…usually the plastic wraps are used for only organic produce and bags of potatoes/apples, etc. This is an absurd waste of plastic, so yes; I’d totally be down for telling Trader Joe’s to cut the plastic habit. :)

Every company same.!!. now the packs are bigger than the bikkies .. Companies wld get it!

Yes, I hate Tj’s. I thought I was the only one. Everyone else seems to worship at the altar of TJ’s. :-

Yes, yes, yes!

That’s why I don’t shop there…so much packaging!

Yes! And it drives me crazy! I was so happy when they started offering apples, pears, and a few other products without the plastic clam shell. I wish they would continue that trend with all of their produce!

I have been saying this for years! Which is why I don’t buy their produce! Only buy their organic noodles becaues its the best price around me.