Trader Joe's and the Controversial Campaign

Last month's article asking residents what should do with its leftover food sparked passionate commentary on Patch. 

Many defended Trader Joe's despite Dive! director Jeremy Seifert's campaign through change.org. Seifert filmed in South Pasadena.

The campaign is asking the grocery store to implement a company-wide policy that would essentially result in even more donations and hopefully set an example for other grocers. 

On La Cañada Fintridge Patch, Joel Bennett that she wonders if the premise of the campaign is accurate.

Bennett wrote, "We volunteer in the kitchen at Union Station Homeless Services on Raymond in Pasadena, it's a great place to send food donations that are then used to prepare meals for the homeless. If I am not mistaken, Union Station already receives donations of food from Trader Joe's, though I am not sure whether it is coming from their stores or from headquarters of TJ.''

The Dive! director says he's frequently been asked, "Why are you picking on Trader Joe's?" But while many residents can attest to donations from the store, these residents also haven't seen the film, Seifert told Patch. 

Dive! was filmed throughout 2008 and 2009; it 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 the 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. 

TRADER JOE'S RESPONDS

"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. 

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

"Fighting hunger is central to what we do. We are a grocery store," said Trader Joe's customer relations manager, Nicole High. "Thus, 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; that's equal to almost 656 truckloads of food or 20 million meals, according to High. 

"Trader Joe's long running policy is to donate products that are not fit for sale but are safe for consumption," she continued. 

As stated on its website, High also informed Patch that each store has its own donation coordinator. 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 approximately 77,000 signatures to date. Dive! is currently available on DVD and Netflix. 

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