Trader Joe's Organic Grape Juice--Is it Really Kosher?

A dear reader complains that 64oz of "Royal Purple" Kedem Grape routinely tops $8!! Another informs me that $10 is not uncommon in his small town. Is there an alternative for Jews in the far-less trodden, but no less loved, corners of our beloved country?

Well, leave it to R. Yitzchak Abadi to be two steps ahead of the game. According to his 2011 Pesach list, Trader Joe's Grape Juice is not only Kosher for Sephardim on Pesach, but get this, it's kosher for Ashkenazim too...year-round. (That last part was sarcasm, in case you didn't catch it.) I have pasted part of his list below: ('P' means 'Parve'; 'A' means 'Kosher for All')

Drinks	Trader Joe's	Water	Fruit Water (Watermelon, Raspberry Lime)		P	A
Drinks	Trader Joe's	Juices	Grape Juice		P	A
Drinks	Trader Joe's	Juices	Grapefruit Groove		P	A

To be absolutely certain I am not hallucinating, I double-check Trader Joe's online list of Kosher Products. Sure enough, Organic Concord Grape Juice is there...on the list!!!

I am too nervous words.... Tripping out of the house, I forget my reusable shopping bags. Thankfully, I am wearing a hat so as to avoid any potential Chillul Hashem at the check-out counter when I have to ask for paper bags. (This is a West L.A. Trader Joe's, mind you.) But I remind myself that I am a rabbi (and I should not be fiddling with legal loopholes), so I turn around and snatch our collection of bags made from an assortment of fascinating materials, such as recycled newspaper, soda bottles, hemp, and (don't tell anyone) cotton.

The Search begins well. I snap a photo of an OU on Joe's Kids White Grape Juice:

(And is that a cameo of Starbuck's Queen Esther???)

Continuing on, I find Joe's Kids Apple-Grape Juice, also with an OU!:

(Boy, am I having a Sunny Day!!!)

And then I spot it! The holy grape of my crusade...that small purple sunset, a 32oz bottle of Organic Trader Joe's Concord Grape Juice for the very reasonable price of $2.99:  

(Isn't she beautiful?)

But then I look again: 

(There is something missing)

I start to panic:

And then I really start to panic:

There is no OU, or CRC, or Half Moon K or Half K Moon... I have the helpful traders of Trader Joe's search the boxes in the back...maybe there is some 'Occipital K' that nobody has ever heard of somewhere on the box, but there isn't. We take turns staring at the bottle again and then at the list...  

And then I slowly put the Organic Concord Grape Juice back on the shelf, and fill my recycled shopping bags with other organic and non-organic things and return home--in the chilly night...the air still and quiet with subdued contemplation. 

The Cost of Kosher Continued

I had the opportunity to continue my review of LA kosher shops, thus two new establishments have been added to the mix: Trader Joe's (Culver City) and the Pico Glatt Mart. They are listed below with the previous vendors. But first, I shall announce a couple of discoveries.

1) Pico Glatt Mart has a website. It doesn't give prices or anything, but maybe with some encouragement they might advertise specials. 21st century marketing didn't evolve in a day.
2) Nevertheless, in the chicken department, Pico Glatt Mart is about as competitive as last week's winner Kosher Club (see below). Unfortunately, I must report that they too are unapologetic members of the "Kedem Cartel"--with the usual $5.99 for a large bottle!

(Those who wish to understand why this irks me so, last year I routinely bought large bottles of Kedem grape juice for $2.99 at the Stop & Shop in Yonkers, NY!)

3) Trader Joe's... If you buy a whole organic chicken it comes out to be $3.99lb--which is only a dollar or so more than the non-organic variety we find at most kosher butchers. For those who do not know, Trader Joe's is trying hard to solicit kosher customers. They have a list of kosher foods on their website with the contact information for the many varied and multinational kosher supervisory organizations that tend to be unfamiliar to most kosher consumers. Here is what they wrote:


"We sail the culinary seas in search of new and exciting products. How does this affect our kosher shoppers? Because our products span the globe, you may spot kosher symbols that you do not recognize. Our list was compiled to help you easily identify the wide range of kosher products we carry in our stores. We have included an appendix of kosher symbols found on Trader Joe's Products so you can become more familiar with the governing agencies that may not be from your neighborhood.
Please note that this list is not all-inclusive, but it's a pretty good overview. Please be sure to check your produce, bakery and dairy sections for even more kosher products (these sections tend to vary by region in order to ensure the utmost freshness!). We try to keep this list as up to date and as accurate as possible, but we do introduce and discontinue products all the time, so keep your eyes open."

And now back to the list. (Remember, prices may vary..)


Pico Glatt Mart (9427 W. Pico Blvd) - 5/6/11
Kehilla Chicken $2.39lb-$2.99lb

Kehilla Turkey Wings $1.59lb

Kedem Grape Juice (large) $5.99 

Trader Joe's (Culver City) 5/3/11

Empire (Whole) Organic Chicken $3.99lb

Empire (Whole) Non-Organic Chicken  $3.99lb
Empire (Pieces) Chicken $3.99-$6.49lb
Empire (Pieces) Turkey $3.99lb


Kosher Club (4817 West Pico Boulevard)
Empire Chicken        $2.69-2.99 lb
King David Chicken  $2.69-2.99 lb
Turkey Drumstick      $1.99 lb
Kedem Grape Juice   $5.99 (large bottle)

Glatt Mart (8708 West Pico Boulevard)
Agristarmeat Chicken $2.79-3.59
Chai Poultry Chicken  $3.69 
Fabrengen Grape Juice  $5.49 

Livonia Glatt Market (Pico & Livonia)
Agristarmeat Chicken   $2.79-$3.29 lb.
Turkey Drumstick $2.19 lb.
Fabrengen Grape Juice $5.99

Ralph's (9616 West Pico Boulevard)
Empire Chicken $3.99-4.19 (Club Card)
Kedem Grape Juice $3.89 (Club Card)