The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Trader Joe’s has decided to eliminate all single-ingredient products from its shelves that have been imported from mainland China, a move taken in response to concerns about food safety procedures there.
“We feel confident that all of our products from China meet the same high quality standards that we set for all of our products," said a statement from the company. "However, our customers have voiced their concerns about products from this region and we have listened."
The move does not affect products with multiple ingredients, some of which may be from China, according to the report.
“We feel confident that all of our products from China meet the same high quality standards that we set for all of our products," said a statement from the company. "However, our customers have voiced their concerns about products from this region and we have listened."
The move does not affect products with multiple ingredients, some of which may be from China, according to the report.
- KC's View:
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Once again, decisions like this one highlight why Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) is inevitable, and why industry is going to have to figure out a way to make it work.
I understand that a lot of you don’t agree with me on this issue, or think that I am oversimplifying it.
To the latter, I plead guilty. Sort of. I am oversimplifying it, but deliberately, and only because I think that is how consumers will view it. Consumers probably won’t give a damn about the operational challenges involved in creating such labels. They’ll just want to know, and it’ll be up to the industry to figure it out, quickly and seamlessly.
People, more and more, are going to demand transparency. Fight it, and you are fighting the wrong war.
