Bill Hanifin

Trader Joe's Has Transparency Issues

July 27, 2010

FROM RETAILWIRE:
Writing for The Faster Times, the online investigative website, Amy Westervelt said private label food items have a "transparency" problem. As part of an ongoing "Generic Foods Investigation," she has launched a probe to find out who produces many of Trader Joe's popular items. Should retailers provide the names of manufacturers that produce their private label products?      [more...]

I thought the idea behind marketing private label brands was to offer quality products at lower prices.

As long as the grocer (Trader Joe's in this case) labels the product with proper nutritional disclosures, I think they have met their obligation.

If a product recall occurs or some other liability results from sales of a private label product, Trader Joe's is first on the hook, but the manufacturer will surely be dragged in as a responsible party at that point.

The call for blanket transparency might work for our financial institutions, but not for private label grocery products.

Much ado over nothing, in my opinion.