Trader Joe's controversial decision to use ethnic names for some of his products has come under fire again after a TikToker released a video criticizing the grocer.
A TikToker named Kyi released a video to show her realization that Trader Joe's frozen bag of Mandarin Chicken was branded as Trader Ming's.
As she prepares dinner, she turns to the camera and says, “Wait a minute.”
In the caption of the video, she wrote, “POV: You just found out Trader Joe's does THIS with cultural foods.”
The video, which has been viewed nearly three million times, is part of a series in which Kyi continues to find various Trader Joe's products with alternative labels.
A TikToker named Kyi released a video using a popular point-of-view method to show her realization that the frozen bag of Mandarin Chicken was branded as Trader Ming's.
The video, which has nearly three million views, is part of a series in which Kyi continues to find several Trader Joe's products with alternative labels
With help from viewers, she later discovered that the famous California supermarket chain had other lines, including Trader Giotto's, Trader Joe San, Joe's Diner and Trader Jacques.
The store has a line of Italian food titled 'Trader Giotto's' and an American line called 'Joe's Diner'.
There is 'Trader Joe San' for Japanese food, 'Baker Josef' and 'Trader Jacques' for traditional French food.
Viewers have voiced their opinions, many of them light-hearted and supportive, which is in stark contrast to the backlash the retailer faced in 2020 over the names of its Mexican and Middle Eastern food lines.
Food products considered Italian used the 'Trader Giotto's' brand
Baker Josef for traditional French dishes
“A big missed opportunity to call it Trader Zhou's,” one joked, while another said, “As a Mexican, I prefer to enjoy Trader Jose.”
'I noticed this too. I have olive oil from Trader Joe's and it's called Trader Giottos,” someone joked.
One viewer said: 'I thought they were all traders who know each other and sell each other their own food.'
Another theorized, “I read somewhere they use a cultural equivalent of the name Joe, but I don't know why.”
But this came as a shock to many, just like in 2020; The chain said it would remove ethnic brand names such as 'Trader Ming's, 'Arabian Joe's' for Middle Eastern dishes and 'Trader Jose's' from its shelves after an online petition branded the products as racist.
“While this approach to product naming may have been rooted in a light-hearted attempt at inclusivity, we recognize that it can now have the opposite effect – one that runs counter to the welcoming, rewarding customer experience we strive to create every day,” spokeswoman Kenya Friends-Daniel told it The New York Post.
Trader Joe's American line is called 'Joe's Diner'
Trader José has been used on products imported from Mexico
Trader Joe San was used for Japanese products
The California-based grocer had at least six brands that used popular or common names from other countries to sell products.
The petition was launched in early July 2020 and had collected more than 2,300 of the 2,500 desired signatures.
The petition denounced the practice and demanded that the company “remove racist branding and packaging from its stores.”
“The supermarket chain labels some of its ethnic foods with modifications of 'Joe,' belying a narrative of exoticism that perpetuates harmful stereotypes,” the company said.
“Trader Joe's branding is racist because it exoticizes other cultures – it presents 'Joe' as the default 'normal' and the other characters fall outside of it,” the petition continued.
“The common thread between all these violations is the perpetuation of exoticism, the purpose of which is not to appreciate other cultures, but to promote other cultures and distance them from the perceived 'normal'.”
In 2020, the retailer said it would remove ethnic brand names such as 'Trader Ming's, 'Arabian Joe's' for Middle Eastern dishes and 'Trader Jose's' from its shelves after an online petition labeled the products as racist
But later that month, the company said it would stick with labels like Trader Jose and Trader Ming's for Mexican and Asian food.
But later that month, the company said it would stick with labels like Trader Jose's and Trader Ming's for Mexican and Asian food, respectively.
“We want to be clear: we do not agree that any of these labels are racist,” they said in a statement. 'We do not make decisions based on petitions.'
The supermarket chain said it still believes the names, many of which were created decades ago, represent lighthearted efforts at inclusion, adding that its customers say they still like them.
'We thought then – and still think – that naming products could be fun and show appreciation for other cultures.
“Going forward, we will continue to evaluate the name variation products that remain in our store.
“If we notice that certain product names and/or products are not resonating with customers, we will not hesitate to make changes.”
Trader Joe's did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.