By COLlive reporter
If you are looking for semi-sweet chocolate chips in Trader Joe’s, forgetaboutit!
News that the product was going to be labeled “Kosher Dairy” has sent scores of Lubavitch women and Shluchos around the country to the chain of specialty grocery stores.
Popular in Southern California with locations in 30 other states, Trader Joe’s carries discount staple food, organic food, and specialty products.
Their 12 oz bags of chocolate chips currently have the OK Kosher Certification as “Parve” and are convenient for the many who refrain from eating Cholov Stam / Cholov Akum (milk produced without full-time supervision).
When rumors began spreading on Facebook and on email exchanges that the product will soon be labeled non-Parve, women were quick to voice their disappointment – and doubts.
One called Trader Joe’s customer center to verify the rumor, only to hear that it was not true. Others did receive a confirmation. In the meantime, no time was wasted, and hundreds of bags of dark chocolate chips were purchased.
“It will be a pain to start ordering online or bring them from New York,” said Rochel, a Chabad mother who said she emptied her local Trader Joe’s from its 37 bags of Parve chocolate chips.
The official notice came today, Wednesday.
Rabbi Don Yoel Levy, head of the OK, sent a Kashrus Advisory, stating: “Please be advised that Trader Joe’s Chocolate Chips are no longer certified Pareve. They are certified dairy (non-Cholov Yisroel) when bearing the OK-D on the label.”
“It’s a real pity,” added Rochel who plans on scouting neighboring stores as well for the item.
those were our favorite
I just dropped Trader Joes a line at
http://www.traderjoes.com/about/index.asp. More people should contact them to keep this from happening
Here is the website. PLEASE contact them:
http://www.traderjoes.com/about/general-feedback-form.asp
u have never lived out of town probably, and have no idea what it is to, u try to find any store, compared to which one is better this one or this one, dont bash out of towners, we r the ones that are making a byis for hashem, kiddush hashem, mesiros nefesh, mivtzoyim, so dont bash us!
Stella D’oro is NOT pas yisroel! BTW, Rold Gold isnt either fyi
i cant believe what a big thing this is turning into! you’ll survive without chocolate chips!!
its good to know that there was a change! otherwise i would have cvs just grab them like i normally do and taken them home and made dessert for shabbos! so it is a good thing that it is in the news! it saved me from eating traiff! also im from cali and there is not any kosher stores locally so TJ is great and the price is good also!
WHY?!?!?!
has anyone thought to petition trader joes and the OK to not make this move?
It is down to the OK not Trader Jo. They decide what is “D” So start by speaking to them then speak to TJ…
How can trader joe not be worried about losing so much business. I think they will start taking their kosher department alot more seriously once they make chocolate chips dairy!
I’m suprised no national chain has used this as a golden opportunity as outreach to literally thousands of kosher consumers in desperate need. How can we entertain guests and celebrate a meat dinner without parave chocolate chips? Maybe we should just go back to regular smaller specalty kosher brands. I personally would go to Trader Joes just for the chocolate chips!!!
I am one of thousands of kosher parve -non dairy users of your chocolate chips. Remaining parve ,but being produced on dairy equipment restricts me from using it in my repertoire. As a congregation leaders’ wife, I don’t only cook for myself,but for hundreds of people per year. Please reconsider this inconvenience and continue providing your loyal customers with ok certified parve chocolate chips.
Thank you in advance for your consideration ,
This is what I was told by a Trader Joes employee: The factory where the chips are made is transitioning from a “wet” cleaning process to a “dry” one – meaning there is no 210 degree boiling water involved. No hoax from the OK labs, no ‘simple label change’, etc. ACTUAL kashrus at work. (Which also means that the chips coming off the new “Dairy” equipment will all go straight into those OK-D bags… no problem with the Pareve ones in the stores now). Hopefully they’ll realize that any time/money saved by this switch is not worth the money lost… Read more »
Help stop Trader Joe’s from making their chocolate chips OK-D by joining the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/187133011409388/
WE”RE ALL GONNA DIE!
MAKE A PROTEST! CALL THe WHITE HOUSE!
CHOCOLATE CHIPS!
Everyone prtest outside your local trader joes and tell tem this cannot happpen! What is life without chocolate chips??!!
Our entire Avoda of being on this planet, to make a dira B’tavhtonim, and to bring Moshiach CANNOT HAPPEN without the so important CHOCLATE CHIPS!! (ch’v)
Stella Dora is not pas yisroel
Bought 180 bags, and have another case coming Friday!!!!! Yes, my husband thinks I’m insane, but he’ll appreciate it when I can still bake with them!!
call & tell them, we dont care. & they dont seem to either.
Online petition:
http://www.change.org/petitions/trader-joe-s-keep-the-chocolate-chips-pareve#
for those upset about trader joe’s chip —
this is to let you all know
SHOPRITE choc chips are PARVE
I would be happy to buy them st the numerous trader joes in my area if anyone wants to but them from me
from #7 to #16 First of all I am married, b”h with a growing family. One of the things I try to emphasize to my children and my guests is exactly what you are trying to discourage. I try to teach that it is not important to have every single thing exactly perfect in order to be happy. There are many other chocolate chips which are pareve which are readily available (assuming you live in an area with a selection available) and I should hope that they could not care less about which choclate chip is in their cookie. To… Read more »
For those who have a Whole Foods nearby, they also have good pareve chocolate chips (good taste-wise, not necessarily health-wise!)
Chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, and sugar are the main ingredients in quality chocolate.
Something could have changed in the facility where the chips are made to change its status to dairy (use of equipment, etc.). Many factories make many different products for many different companies. So the ingredients in the choc chips would be the same, however another product being produced there could affect the kosher status.
Taamu U’reu ki Tov chocolate chips. Farzucht vet ihr zen as di chocolate chips zainen Gut…
Something suspicious here…. Can the ok explain the reason WHY it is being labeled as OK D now? What changed? Is it the same recipe and line, or have they changed something?
page doesn’t exist
http://www.vitacost.com/enjoy-life-semi-sweet-chocolate-mini-chips
They can be ordered easily.
Or move to Israel. We have Maimons and Oppenheimer. I like both.
I do most of my shopping at TJ. My kids love looking for the monkey. Very upset about this! We’ll take our shopping elsewhere.
That’s nothing I just bought 87 bags! Los Angeles is out!
shoprite sell parve choc chips with the OU hechsher
The manager at my store said the chips have not changed just the packaging. The chips have been the same for the last 2 years. They were just told to change the packaging. So are the chips we have now ok for using??????????????????
Anyone who is writing should also mention lactose intolerance and how even residue of milk products can cause problems for those who have the most severe forms of milk allergies. The kosher market is NOT big enough for them to care – but they don’t want lawsuits from someone who has any problems with milk and doesn’t see the new information.
stop whining!! so u don’t have a kosher store and we don’t have a back yard!! America has kosher food in every super market … talk to the English or Australians and the likes on shlichus …. now u won’t hear them moaning about choc chips!!
what has this world come to??!!!! what will we do???
it’s just choc chips!!!!!
It was helpful to me living out in California, where I do not have any “Kosher” stores nearby. I would have not known about the hechser change, and perhaps not necessarily have noticed the change on the package.
True, they did not need to make a whole article about it, it could have just been an alert, but this is a website where alerts are made into huge stories – so DEAL with it!!!
Why would Trader Joe’s choose to out a D next to the OU? I assume it was the OU telling them that something has changed in the processing that requires this change in designation? I don’t think Trader Joes cares a hoot about the kosher symbol, and this change must mean something about the way the chips are made? Please help me understand, any Rabbis out ther?
How long will your stash last? Your buying frenzy won’t help for long. You, too, must petition…!!!!
i think the kashrut org should explain clearly with sources in shulchan aruch what DE or D and dairy mean
You have obviously never tasted trader joes choc chips. They are incomparable to the junk that the jewish companies make because they can get away with it! Oh ..and they are cheaper per bag and 15oz per bag instead of kosher brands 12 oz.
You should add this part to the article, if people want to protest the change to dairy they should go here, to Trader Joe’s website, and let them know it is not ok!
http://www.traderjoes.com/about/product-information-form.asp
#7, I was thinking it. You said it. It’s just a chocolate chip – we buy these twice a year and yes, it’s nice to make frosting with them but eh, it’s just chocolate. #16 – You know what is ignorant than the comment left by #7? Your assumption of gender and marital status. You offend me. I’m the primary cook in our house, not my wife – I enjoy it, and she works full time raising our children – the least I can do is cook. “Frumkeit’ has nothing to do this, and chocolate chips getting this much attention… Read more »
You took the words right out of my mouth,, You want to know the frenzy? Its because some of us like to feed our children stuff that taste good. I have never seen a chocolate chip from any other company come close to TJ’s cheap, quality, and yummy,,, I make all my cakes and cookies and I cook for bikur cholim, and I cook for moms who just had babies,, and they get my chocolate stuff, I want them to have the best,,,
Lucky you that you live in an area where kosher food is readily available. For many readers of this Lubavitch website, TJs chocolate chips enhanced many Chabad functions, gave our kids chocolate chip cookies (gasp!) and were the only available parve chips in driving distance- the nearest for me being 4 hours.
Thanks to such articles, I was made aware of the impending switch in time to stock up, instead of showing up one day and finding that they are all milchig, as happened with Kroger brand and the Wal-Mart brand.
they are not any more healthy than others, first ingredient sugar, then chocolate liquor, no cocoa anyway
I can’t even imagine what Reb Peretz Mochkin, Reb Shilem and Reb Gronem (let alone the Rebbe RaShAB)would say about this!!!
To Whom it May Concern, It is with much dismay and concern that I write to you. As you are aware, your company, Trader Joe’s, recently made the decision to change the Kashrus certification from “OK” to “OK DE” (Dairy Equipment) on a line of product that is quite dear to all of us…your famous Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. I am sure you have been well briefed by the company you work with, Ok Kashrus Laboratories, and they have provided all the necessary information detailing how people from our community would no longer be able to buy and enjoy this very… Read more »
You are right on. We women are in charge of keeping a kosher home. This kind of thing is what truly outrages us. Let’s start a petition.
ingredients ,distribution and supervision costs. Stam Cholov is much easier and profitable kashrus wise,unfortunately..Hershey’s had a similar problem with the distribution and packaging costs with their previous OU parve syrup.
DB
i used to eat so many trader joes choco chips plain. they are the best chocolate chips on the market hands down. much better tasting and much better for baking. RIP trader joes chocolate chips, today i lost a good friend.
hopefull they will change their mind like the two above factories did
While this most certainly IS news, and bad news at that, one or more of the kosher brands may be the same as the old TJ product. The kosher suppliers use the same factories that the store brand suppliers use. Look for codes on the package and try to match them to codes from Lieber’s, Gefen or whichever kosher brand is still available. Also, avoid “chocolate FLAVORED chips.” They have very little cocoa butter and will ruin your recipes. Finally, Trader Joe’s is not Jewish owned. There is no need to worry about chometz – and chocolate chips are kitniois… Read more »
Are the Shoprite ones still parve?
CHECK OUT WHOLE FOODS!
I haven’t heard such arrogance and ignorance in a while. I have no doubt that you are a male and I hope you are not married yet – so you can get YOUR priorities straight! What is shuchan aruch, gemara, semicha etc. is not discussing the kinds and details of food? Is Torah talking about split hooves also nonsense for you? People work hard preparing food for their families and they try doing it the best they can. Sweets might not be ideal for those practicing escaphia – yet they are what make children happy and eat their meal, they… Read more »
Enough people complained to Duncan Hines about their changing their cake mixes from parve to dairy that they went back to parve.
write a petition thell listen
Stores are running out. I emptied the shelf at my local TJ of 36 bags!!
1. We don’t all live in NY.
2. In general kosher brands produce far inferior products.
You write that this is a problem for ppl that keep cholov yisroel. It’s a problem for ppl that don’t too. You can’t make chocolate chip cookies, cakes etc for a shabbos meal with dairy chocolate chips even if you eat cholov stam!
Trader Joe’s had the BEST Pareve Chocolate chips I, and my friends and family have had! It doesn’t compare to the standard kosher ones! They were such a great pareve snack! Something must be done to change this!!!
WHY WOULD YOU GO DAIRY!??!?!
DAMN THE D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Enjoy life makes mini choc. chips and Choc. chunks that are so yummy and pareve. Also free of all the top 8 allergens. The soy dream/rice dream brand as well makes a good pareve choc. chip. We get both at our local “out of town” grocery store and whole foods.
And they are made out of actual chocolate not the gross garbage which Jewish brands use. Taste them and you’ll realize.
Rabosai, how low have we fallen that a type of choclate chips is a news story on a frum Lubavitch website. Even if you love and “can’t live without” these chips, life will go on. What is really important in your lives?
1. we are not that lucky to even have a kosher store here!
2. they are better priced than the kosher stores in NY
what’s all the hype about their choc chips?! what’s wrong with reg ones found in kosher stores?
BH
BSD
trader joes sadly has a history of labelling things as kosher but have no hesksher re: beans
Also in canada, the presidents choice brand went to OK-D. (they probably get it from the same supplier….)
If it is chometz it might be “chometz sh’over olove ha’Pesach” if the store is owned by yidden
Please tell me this isnt true!! I LOOOOOVE trader joes chocolate chips!