Are you new to shopping at Trader Joe’s? I’m a huge fan, but not of all the products. Here’s what I avoid at Trader Joe’s and what I think you should avoid too.
You know I love Trader Joe’s. It’s one of my favorite places to grab grocery items my whole family loves. But just like I have a complicated relationship with ALDI (things we both love and hate), I’m not blindly in love with all things Trader Joe’s. The items at Trader Joe’s aren’t all created equal.
If you haven’t tried shopping at Trader Joe’s, I urge you to go. Grab some great staple groceries and seasonal items. But don’t just grab everything. You definitely want to avoid some of the products at Trader Joe’s. There is more good than there is bad, though, so it’s definitely worth a trip. Here are the items to avoid at Trader Joe’s. Skip these and you should fall in love with this quirky little grocery store.
Items to Avoid at Trader Joe’s
Condiments
When I sat down to think about what items to avoid at Trader Joe’s, condiments were the first group of products that came to mind. I’ve tried many condiments at Trader Joe’s, and they’ve largely been misses for me. They try to taste like the brand name condiment products we all know and love, but they’re far enough off that they’re just not worth buying. I haven’t met a BBQ sauce or mayo-based product at Trader Joe’s that I would repurchase. They have all been one-and-dones for me.
Exception
The sole exception for me in the condiment space is Dijon mustard. I find it to be comparable to other stores’ house brands, so I’ll buy it at Trader Joe’s if I’m out of Dijon mustard and I’m shopping there.
Jarred sauces
In a similar vein, I also suggest you avoid the jarred sauces at Trader Joe’s. I keep thinking that the next jarred sauce that I try from Trader Joe’s will change the tide, and I keep being wrong. They’ve all been various shades of bad. I’m not a fan of any of the red pasta sauces, and don’t even get me started on the “exciting” pasta sauce varieties. Whatever you do, do not buy the Cacio e Pepe sauce. It’s an insult to my favorite pasta.
Exception
My exception in the jarred sauces category is the salsa. If you don’t mind some heat, salsa is not something you should avoid at Trader Joe’s. I like both the Salsa Verde and the Salsa Autentica. They’re not fancy by any stretch of the imagination, but they are both good, solid salsa options for a great price.
Produce
Produce is probably the biggest bummer of all the items to avoid at Trader Joe’s. I want to like to produce at Trader Joe’s, I really do. But, unfortunately, it keeps letting me down. The produce just isn’t high quality. It’s often halfway gone to rot on the shelf. To add insult to injury, it’s quite expensive for what you’re getting too. Long story short, you can get much higher quality produce for much lower prices elsewhere.
Exception
My exception where produce is concerned is pretty specific. I like some of their salad kits, most notably the pizza ranch salad and the elote salad. I only buy the salad kits, though, if I’m planning to eat them that night. They just don’t stay fresh for longer than that. So, if you need a salad kit for dinner the night you’re shopping at Trader Joe’s, go ahead and pick one up without fear.
Milk
Milk is a weird thing to suggest you avoid at Trader Joe’s, I know. And it may be all in my head. But Trader Joe’s milk seems to go bad quicker than pretty much any other brand of milk I’ve ever bought. It’s not that the dates are sooner than other brands. They might be, but not by much. It’s that the milk goes sour before the sell by date. I’ve had this happen far too many times, so now I don’t take my chances anymore. I simply don’t buy milk at Trader Joe’s.
Lunch meat
I’m starting to think that I might be a lunch meat snob. I put lunch meat on my list of what to avoid at ALDI and here I am putting lunch meat on my list of items to avoid at Trader Joe’s too. It’s Boar’s Head or bust for me, I suppose. Interestingly, my beef with lunch meat at Trader Joe’s is different from my beef with it at ALDI. At Trader Joe’s, I’m mostly offended by the price you pay for what you get. The packages of lunch meat are small and the texture is weird. Seriously, find a deli counter that serves Boar’s Head. #notsponsored
Raw meat
I’ve been shopping at Trader Joe’s on and off for many years. It was my main grocery store when I was in law school, then I’d go occasionally, then not at all. Now I’m back to going regularly for the things I know we like. That list does not include raw meat. I haven’t been a fan of the raw meat selection at Trader Joe’s since the beginning of my journey with the store oh so many years ago (16 years to be precise). The selection is hit or miss and I can say the same for the quality. I’d rather not play meat roulette, so I avoid buying meat at Trader Joe’s now. I suggest you avoid it too.
Breakfast sausage patties
I admit this is a bit of a niche thing to add to my list of items to avoid at Trader Joe’s. But we just recently realized that the breakfast sausage patties weren’t up to par, so I want to share my new discovery with you. You see, my son has recently gotten into bagel breakfast sandwiches. They’re an easy school day breakfast, so I’m all for his new breakfast obsession. His preferred way to eat a bagel breakfast sandwich involves a mini bagel, a fried egg, a slice of cheddar cheese, and a breakfast sausage patty. We were at Trader Joe’s one day after school recently and he saw that Trader Joe’s had breakfast sausage patties on offer and asked if we could try them. Of course! Unfortunately, he took one bite the next morning and refused to eat more. He was disappointed. That has left my husband and me to eat them, and we’ve been disappointed too.
Cleaning products
I get the allure of buying cleaning products at Trader Joe’s. You want to be more eco-friendly and you don’t necessarily want your kids around harsh cleaning chemicals. It makes sense! Unfortunately, the greener, safer cleaning products at Trader Joe’s just don’t work. Don’t waste your money.
Baked goods
Trader Joe’s would really benefit from an in-store bakery. I understand that this is unlikely to ever happen, though. Because they need something they just won’t ever have, this leads me to add most baked goods to my list of items to avoid at Trader Joe’s. Why? All the baked goods I’ve tried from Trader Joe’s are always just a little bit stale. They have traveled to get to you, and you can tell. You’re much better off skipping the baked goods aisle.
Exception
I like the take-and-bake ciabatta baguettes. Because you throw them in the oven for a few minutes before you eat them, it refreshes the bread. They taste delicious!
Tortillas
Whatever you do, don’t buy tortillas at Trader Joe’s unless you’re planning to use them all the day you buy them. If you don’t go through every single tortilla the exact day you purchase them, they will mold before you can eat them. I buy tortillas mostly to keep for kid-friendly meals like quesadillas or school lunches like pinwheels. This means I use one or two at a time and save the rest for later. The Trader Joe’s tortillas are not conducive to this pattern of tortilla consumption. Every time I buy tortillas at Trader Joe’s, I end up throwing at least half the package away and I’m reminded that I shouldn’t buy them at Trader Joe’s. If you use tortillas like I do, add them to your list of items to avoid at Trader Joe’s.
Other blog posts
Looking for more food-related posts? I happen to love food (and writing about it). You might want to take a look at one of the following posts if you’re hungry:
I hope you feel better about shopping at Trader Joe’s now that you know what you should avoid. If you shop at Trader Joe’s, what would you add to this list? Please share down below or over on Instagram @sarainseason.