Two more Trader Joe's suppliers outed

Trader Joe's is famously secretive about its suppliers. It compels all of them to sign draconian non-disclosure agreements (even though many of them want to keep the secret themselves, because they sell similar products to other stores at higher prices!)

But in the last few days, two more suppliers have been outed, when they were named in a USDA food recall, because of fears of listeria contamination. It turns out that Trader Joe's Barbecue Chicken Salad is made by Huxtable Kitchens, in California. TJ's Mild Salsa, and Balela are both made by Simmering Soups, in Atlanta.

All these products are being recalled because of listeria found in onions shipped by Gill's Onions, which is a supplier to both Huxtable Kitchens and Simmering Soups.

On the bright side, Trader Joe's California Estate extra-virgin olive oil was one of only two brands rated 'excellent' in Consumer Reports' recent tests of 20+ brands. The other 'excellent' rating went to McEvoy Ranch (which, for all I know, is TJ's source!) California olive oils have really come on in recent years. After tasting an extra-virgin, organic olive oil at the Ojai farmer's market, my wife and I bought a gallon.