While visiting the DC area a few days ago I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they have a "Vegan Products at Trader Joe's" document available for anyone who wants it. Way kewl.
I was trying to find some products that had been re-located since my last visit to the Silver Spring, MD store (been a couple of years). The employee I asked turned out to be vegan and offered the 6 page 2-column single spaced reference. We had great sport chatting (apparently, she'd recently see this "incredible" vegan dude, a Howard Lyman (Howard Who?) at a Green Festival in DC).
Anyway, the printout is fantastic. It's broken down into the following sections: Bars, Beverages, Shelf Bubbly, Bread & Bakery, Candy & Cookies, Cereal, Dried Fruits & Nuts, Fresh Juice, Frozen, Grocery, (including dressings, marinades, sauces, spreads), Grains, Baking and Cooking Supplies, Fruit: sauces, preserves, nut butters), Refrigerated, Snacks (with dips and salsas).
Wow... they really take it seriously. As an added bonus, here's the quote from the top of the first page and the first paragraph:
SIR TOBY: "No question." --- William Shakespeare, Twelth Night, Act 1, Scene III
"For the love of wit (and a few other reasons), we've identified products free of all animal products and/or by-products including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, honey, gelatin, lanolin and confectioner's glaze with the "V" (for Vegan). Please note, this list is not all-inclusive. We do our best to keep the information as up to date and as accurage as possible, but we do introduce and discontinue products all the time, so keep your eyes open and always read product labels." Dated: 10/19/09.
Next time you go to Trader Joe's, get a copy, and express sincere appreciation for their efforts. Would that more stores were as thoughtful!
ADDENDUM: an astute read pointed out that there's a PDF link on Trader Joe's Website to the Vegan Info I wrote about above. Thanks for the URL, V.!
Check out this informative and inspiring video on why people choose vegan: http://veganvideo.org/
Also see Gary Yourofsky: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bagt5L9wXGo
[Great tips, JC. I particular like the first video and your website is great. I plan to get them both into the upcoming "Mad Cowboy" Newsletter. Best to you both, Mark]
Posted by: JC | 2009.12.21 at 08:13