Trader Joe’s: Food or Cultural Appropriation?

Trader José, Trader Joe San, Trader Ming’s, Trader Giotto’s, Arabian Joe’s, Armenian Joe’s. The list is never-ending. Trader Joe’s does not shy away from utilizing other cultures to appear “hip” and “trendy”. It is often a complete mockery of the cultures that have their traditions and names utilized. From selling “Chinese Inspired Salad” without anything inherently Chinese inside the dish, to outright stealing ethnic products from individuals, Trader Joe’s has shown a willingness to do anything necessary to appear “exotic” to its loyal fanbase of unsuspecting customers.

To better understand Trader Joe’s unhealthy fascination (read obsession) with other cultures, it is best to see how they initially were created. Its founder, Joe Columbe, apparently started his ideas for food from around the world by reading “White Shadows in the South Seas” - a book filled with racist stereotypes of non-Westerners, and an encouragement to Westernize the entire world. It is clear that despite their vehement protests against the insinuation that they are making a complete mockery of other cultures, their business has been rooted in a desire to fundamentally alter the important cultural significance of food from around the world.

Trader Joe’s has, in the past, stooped so low as to completely steal food ideas from small producers. An Indian-origin woman based out of the Bronx had been invited to showcase her product, a family recipe for “achaar” (a type of pickled food), to Trader Joe’s executives. After tasting her product and taking a couple of jars to run further quality tests, Trader Joe’s abruptly pulled out of the deal, and the business owner was disappointed, but moved on. However, she began getting messages a couple of months later that Trader Joe’s had started running a brand of achaar that was suspiciously similar to her own. Trader Joe’s had stolen the product, and worse still, they removed the authentic cultural background that the creators must have.

Is it really worth it to purchase from Trader Joe’s, after knowing that no culture’s food is safe from being desecrated and violated by a company that treats it no more than a gimmick? Is there any reason to believe that any of their “exotic” food is representative of the real thing? It is time to reject Trader Joe’s and close the book on their complete defilation of the cultures of millions of people. Return to good, healthy food that will never attempt to culturally appropriate foods from across the world. Join Wheel Food’s crusade against big business, and avoid supporting cultural appropriation today.