A Trader Joe's shopper may have accidentally reignited one of the grocery chain’s longest-running food conspiracies.
After posting a photo of a Trader Joe's mac and cheese box containing a cheese packet branded with Annie's iconic bunny logo, social media began debating whether the popular boxed meal is actually made by Annie’s, or whether someone simply forgot to swap out the packaging.
Although Trader Joe's has never admitted to it, shoppers have long speculated about this potential partnership.
A bunny-covered Trader Joe's cheese packet raises eyebrows
On Wednesday, a r/mildlyinteresting post started trending for its contribution to the Trader Joe's - Annie's partnership rumors. Though no one could disprove the possibility that the OP switched out the cheese packet, they claim the one covered in bunnies came in Joe's box.
"Trader Joe’s forgot to white label the cheese packet for their Mac and cheese made by Annie’s," wrote u/freeradioforall on Reddit and X.
Speculation that Annie's is behind Trader Joe's mac and cheese goes back several years. It's a known fact that the U.S. retailer sources many of its products from established brands under its own brand name, though Trader Joe's has never revealed any of its partners.
Mac and cheese enjoyers, however, noticed that the grocery chain's boxed mix tastes a lot like Annie's.
In 2019, folks started comparing ingredients, cooking instructions, and doing taste tests in an attempt to confirm or debunk rumors.
Experts with the kitchn found minor differences in ingredients and instructions that seemed to change the process and results. Whatever's in the Trader Joe's cheese packet, for example, was reluctant to dissolve.
"Trader Joe’s cheese powder was borderline impossible to mix in and, despite stirring until my forearm started to cramp (SHUT UP, I’M STRONG), there were still undissolved clumps of cheese," wrote Jelisa Castrodale. "The Annie’s powder was easier to blend and resulted in thinner sauce that spread evenly in the pot."
She judged Annie's to be more buttery but less bold in flavor—in other words, not identical.
What is white labeling?
Those who believe Annie's is behind Trader Joe's mac and cheese took the Reddit post as undeniable confirmation that they're right. This led to an argument over who screwed up the packaging.
"Correction: Annie's forgot to use their white label packaging for the Trader Joe's product they manufactured," wrote u/iced_gold.
"Correction: The third-party processing plant that both entities outsource to forgot to use the appropriate packaging for the customer," u/__-1-__-1-__ countered.
Others didn't care, as long as they got fed.
"Correction: I am hungry and would like to eat macaroni and cheese," said u/CantFindMyWallet.
Further discussion suggested that even a taste test might not disprove the theory that Trader Joe's mac and cheese is made by Annie's. White labeling does not necessarily mean the ingredients are identical—or if they are, Trader Joe's might be "black labeling."
"Some people are sort of defining white labeling correctly, but they’re actually overlapping it with black labeling to some extent," u/Aggleclack explained. "White labeling would be if I bought a bunch of stuff on Alibaba and then sold it as my product."
"Black labeling is a customized version of the product produced specifically for me to sell as my own."
We may have to make peace with our cheesy uncertainty.
The Daily Dot has reached out to u/freeradioforall via Reddit and Trader Joe's via contact form.
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