Community Reacts To Campaign Against Trader Joe's

Our article last month asking residents what Trader Joe's should do with its leftover food sparked some passionate commentary. Several commentators defended Trader Joe's despite Dive! director Jeremy Seifert's campaign through change.org, in which he asked the grocery store to implement a company-wide policy that would essentially result in even more donations and set an example for other grocers. 

“Having worked with homeless agencies for more than 40 years, I can attest to Trader Joe's generosity,” commented Patch freelance photographer and Eagle Rock resident . “We mainly deal with the South Pasadena store—they have graciously donated hundreds of items to homeless support groups on a regular basis.”

Commenting in his personal capacity, President Michael Larsen described Trader Joe’s as “a shining example of smart, responsible and responsive business” that “already provides a tremendous amount of surplus food to our church's food pantry, which is given out to hundreds of needy families every month.” Added Larsen: “Seifert's efforts might be better directed toward other grocery stores.”

For his part, Seifert is aware of the backlash and says he's frequently been asked why he’s “picking on Trader Joe's." While many residents can attest to donations from the store, the fact is that most of these residents likely haven't seen the film Dive!, he told Patch. 

Filmed throughout 2008 and 2009, Dive! documents "dumpster divers" in the parking lots of Trader Joe's stores in South Pasadena and Pasadena. At one point in the film, you'll even catch a glimpse of South Pasadena police officers stopping at the local Trader Joe's dumpster, asking the divers what they're doing. 

As shown in the video, Seifert and his friends feed their families with pounds of food—meat, vegetables, fruits—recovered from Trader Joe's dumpsters. 

In addition to this food, Seifert told Patch he'd like to see the store recycle the containers it throws away and send the inedible food to a local farm for composting. 

"Some of these stores are doing great things, but they have a lot of growth," Seifert explained. "Why not make it something that defines them throughout the country?"

"We are now living in a time where we can't afford to be lax about food waste and methane gas in landfills," he added. 

Trader Joe's responds

Yet Trader Joe's remains confident in its donations countrywide.  

"Fighting hunger is central to what we do,” Trader Joe's customer relations manager, Nicole High, told Patch. “We are a grocery store [and] providing food for people in need is one of our most important giving priorities."

In 2010, Trader Joe's stores donated more than 25 million pounds of food, according to High. That's equal to almost 656 truckloads of food or 20 million meals, she said, adding: "Trader Joe's long running policy is to donate products that are not fit for sale but are safe for consumption."

As stated on its website, the grocery chain has a donation coordinator for each of its stores, High pointed out. South Pasadena's coordinator, Beth Jensen, said the store contributes to the community in two ways: If a product goes past the saleable code, it can be donated to local food banks. Oftentimes, specific requests from the community are also coordinated for special events. 

Seifert's change.org petition has generated some 77,000 signatures so far. Dive! is currently available on DVD and Netflix. 

To view the movie's trailer, click on the video to the right.