He cites “Trader Ming’s”, the supermarket chain’s label for his Chinese products, “Arabian Joe” for his Middle Eastern products, “Trader José” for his Mexican products, and a handful of others as examples.
“The Trader Joe brand is racist because it exoticizes other cultures: it presents ‘Joe’ as the default ‘normal’ and the other characters are left out of it,” the petition says.
The supermarket chain, which first opened in Pasadena, California, in 1967, said it has “already been in the process of updating order labels and replacing any variations with the Trader Joe’s name.”
“While this approach to product naming may have originated in a lighthearted attempt at inclusion, we recognize that it may now have the opposite effect, one that is contrary to the welcoming and rewarding customer experience that we strive to create. days, “Kenya Friend-Daniel, a spokesman for Trader Joe’s, said in a statement.
“The packaging for a number of products has already been changed, but there are a small number of products where the packaging is still going through the process,” added Friend-Daniel.
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