Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants)

RANT

“Dear Customers: Due to sourcing issues, we are discontinuing all of our canned cat and dog food. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

april 2022

Argh$#^!!!!

Boy, this news really really sucks for all of us cat and dog owners who have been buying canned dog and cat food for years and years at Trader Joe’s. In a few weeks or whenever they run out of existing stock, TJ’s won’t have canned pet food! Therefore you might want to stock up asap while supplies last. I have bought a number of cans of cat food while they last.

The issue?! Trader Joe’s sourcing problem reflects the whole pet food industry now.

https://funkstownvet.com/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-pet-food-shortage/

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/announcements?category=customer-updates&id=1165614645

So I get there’s a pet food sourcing problem now, but why doesn’t TJ’s not just give up on finding a another source? Anyone want to start a petition? – start a petition on change.org

“To Our Valued Customers:

We understand that maintaining a consistent food routine is of the utmost importance for our pets. Due to inconsistent availability and ongoing sourcing issues, we are in the process of discontinuing and selling through all remaining inventory of the following products:

• Ocean Fish, Salmon & Rice Dinner Premium Cat Food
• Turkey & Giblets Dinner Premium Cat Food
• Grain Free Salmon Recipe Cat Food
• Grain Free Turkey Recipe Cat Food
• Grain Free Beef Recipe Dog Food
• Grain Free Chicken Recipe Dog Food

Given the time and care involved in introducing our furry, four-legged friends to new foods, we hope this notice enables you to prepare for the transition accordingly. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.”

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN/ DIY PET FOOD. You can make your own pet food; I make my own wet cat food and have done this for years. It can be as simple as tossing 3-4 chicken legs in a pot with a carrot, a potato and a some whole grains (brown rice). Add enough water so an inch or two covers everything. Simmer covered on low heat for 2-3 hours until the meat falls off the bones. Add an egg or two and stir. Let cool a bit. Remove bones. Remove meat and chop up (including fat and cartilege), or use a potato masher. Get it to consistency of what pet food looks like. I let it cool then put in saved used TJ yogurt containers. Freeze and take out as needed. Pets should eat some commercial food too which has some needed nutrients (like taurine). I mix my wet food with some dry cat food too which it seems that Trader Joe’s will still (hopefully) continue to carry. They only mentioned dropping canned food. I still see Bench and Field Cat Food (and Dog Food) on the shelves and they are just a reseller of this product so hopefully it will remain stocked.

UPDATE June 2022 : 2 months later, I still see small pricier cans of the $1.19 cat food left in stock.