Why You Might Want To Think Twice Before Buying Bread At Trader Joe's

Although it is not America's largest grocery store chain, Trader Joe's is one of the country's most loved grocery store chains. Fun, seasonal items and friendly crew members make shopping at Trader Joe's an exceptional experience. However, some shoppers would prefer to leave Trader Joe's bread out of this experience altogether. This is because, while delicious, the bread just isn't made to last.

When Trader Joe's bread hits the store shelves, the clock is ticking. If it is not eaten in a timely manner, you may find some colorful, fuzzy mold forming on your bread. It's for this reason that some people avoid buying Trader Joe's bread. With shoppers expressing every emotion from despair to rage over the bread's tendency to go moldy, it is important to point out that this rapid decay is the result of Trader Joe's good intentions.

In Episode 47 of the "Inside Trader Joe's podcast," Marketing Director Tara Miller and Vice President of Marketing Products Matt Sloan, conversed with Trader Joe's nutrition specialist. During this conversation, it was revealed that Trader Joe's doesn't allow ingredients that don't live up to its brand standards to go into its products. For this reason, you won't find things like artificial preservatives, bleached flour, or artificial colors in Trader Joe's private label items, including its bread (hence why it goes off so quickly). This is welcome news for those who eat their baked goods before they go bad, but what about bread lovers who want their loaves to keep a bit longer?

Shoppers who enjoy Trader Joe's bread, but can't eat it before it turns moldy, shouldn't give up on the product just yet. There are ways to make Trader Joe's preservative-free bread last longer, and investing in a breadbox, like this ETMI Bamboo Bread Box, is a wonderful place to start. Storing bread in a breadbox keeps it fresh as it regulates humidity levels. This is vital as excess humidity can cause your bread to go moldy while a dearth of humidity can result in it going stale.

If you are not planning on having a slice for a while, pop your Trader Joe's bread in the freezer. There are definitely some foods you should never freeze, but bread isn't one of them. Freezing bread will help it last longer, protecting it from going both stale and moldy. When you're ready to eat it, just take it out of the freezer and let it defrost. In a little while, you'll be able to enjoy a perfectly good loaf of Trader Joe's bread that is both preservative and mold free.