Taking a deeper look at Trader Joe's product policy for 'no artificial dye & artificial ingredients' & how that applies to the wine aisle

NOTE: this article is available in audio for free on the original site linked here.

I had this wild thought as I was grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s yesterday.

They have a company policy, found directly on their website, regarding their commitment to have nothing on their shelves that contain artificial flavors, preservatives, synthetic dyes, or GMO ingredients.

It’s why I continually shop there for my kids’ snacks, and food, because they took away a lot of the guesswork for me by making a public commitment that they’d read the labels for me and not carry anything other than what falls within their guidelines.

But, NONE of the wines they carry (that I saw) had ingredient labels. None. So how can they stand behind their policy if they don’t know what’s in the product?

Is this another one of those don’t ask, don’t tell policies that fronts as a customer perk, but actually benefits a box store’s bottom line?

We know the extensive list of hundreds of undisclosed ingredients allowed in wine by the FDA, but without any sort of accountability for those ingredients to be revealed in a nutrition label because of how alcohol is governed (corruptly), my guess is most (dare I say ALL) of the wines on the shelves of Trader Joes would have to be removed or they would explicitly violate company policy & product commitment.

No ingredient labels is a MAJOR loophole for winemakers.

It is common knowledge, that cheap synthetic (and toxic) ingredients are standard practice in winemaking because

1. doing it the traditional, old world way is MUCH more expensive (wine is an $80Billion business)

-and-

2. Americans love convenience. In theory, you should not be able to grab a bottle of Josh, Meiomi, Apothic, or Rombauer to name a few and have it taste the exact same year after year. That is not natural! There is some major doctoring happening in the fermentation & winemaking part of the process that allows for what should be a natural product, indicative of the terrior where it came from, & the season in which it was grown & picked, to taste the exact same bottle after bottle.

The frustration sets in because it feels as though Trader Joe’s is exploiting the trust their customers have built based on their commitment to better ingredient products, AND YET, that doesn’t seem to apply to their entire alcohol section - which I guarantee is a significant line item in their annual revenue.

It forces the question though, do wine consumers really want an ingredient label? Or do we enjoy being in this mutual don’t ask, don’t tell world where we get cheap wine (a buzz for less) that satisfies our tastebuds or evening desires, and they pad their company profits? Because IF legislation ever comes down, and the highly-compensated lobbyists in Washington DC lose their battle to keep ingredient labels OFF wine bottles, then costs will go significantly up for the consumer.

There is a solution though, because you know that I don’t believe in doom & gloom messaging and reporting.

It’s going to require many of us to work together, and use our voices & our resources just in our normal everyday habits. I believe that we can demand better as consumers, ask for transparency, use our dollars to buy & support wineries that ARE making delicious wine & disclosing full ingredients, and ultimately using the basic laws of Economics, when demand goes up, businesses will have no choice but to pivot their products to meet that demand.

There are SO many loopholes when it comes to wine, that we have to work together as consumers AND corporations. We use our dollars to drive demand (only purchasing better for you products that have full transparency), and the companies do what they say they’re going to do. Sorry (not sorry) to pick on you today Trader Joe’s - but you come out strong with a defined policy (which I love to support), so let’s just make sure you actually do what you say by double checking that wine aisle of yours. ;)

What do you think - should Trader Joe’s have to disclose ingredients for the wines they carry? Do you care if each bottle of wine has ingredients that go against their product policy?

If I had to write an open letter to the buyers and executives of Trader Joes, it would go a little something like this:

Dear Trader Joes, I dare you to ask for ingredient labels for the wines you carry. You famously created, and marketed, the cheapest wine to date - but how was that wine made? Was there mega purple added? What about other artificial flavors or coloring additives? How many of the wines that you carry violate your no artificial dye policy? I know that you want better for the consumer, which is why you made your policies in the first place, but like many others - you’ve been duped at best, or complicit in hiding the truth, at worst.

Sincerely, a consumer that loves your store but won’t ever spend a dollar on wine because of your lack of transparency.

This article was originally published on The Whole Story by Ashley Carbonatto. To listen, or read more on this topic, visit the full website here and subscribe to not miss future posts. You can also check out the exposé on how Big Winemakers Are Poisoning Americans that inspired this article.