Cheap(er) Eats: Trader Joe’s Frozen Food vs. Amy’s Organic

I thought I had some uniquely keen powers of observation, but I can’t take credit for being the first to discover an uncanny similarity between the Trader Joe’s Pesto Tortellini bowl and the Amy’s Organic meal with the same name.

Trader Joe's Pesto Tortellini Bowl Amy's Organic Pesto Bowl

Same thing goes with the Trader Joe’s Frozen Spinach Pizza, and the Amy’s Spinach Pizza.

We know that Trader Joe’s partners with food makers to white label things. But I especially like knowing that I’m getting essentially the same quality food as something sold in Whole Foods, for a few dollars less.

Trader Joe's Spinach Pizza

Amy's Organic Spinach Pizza

Here in San Francisco, Trader Joe’s Frozen Pesto Tortellini sells for $2.99. Amy’s Organic Pesto Bowl sells for $4.99. Now that’s cheap(er) eats.

This entry was posted in Groceries, Meals from $5-15 per main course. Bookmark the permalink.

14 Responses to Cheap(er) Eats: Trader Joe’s Frozen Food vs. Amy’s Organic

  1. zach says:

    Crazy! The photos on the packaging even seem to be the same photos… in the tortellini case, exactly the same; in the pizza case, the same photo, just vertically reversed.

  2. Gudrun says:

    careful! Everytime I figure out I like something from TJs, they take it away. Case in point – King Arthur Flour! I am now going to race down there and try to find these things….

  3. Ben says:

    This weekend I noticed the Pesto Pizza was the same for both brands. The photo on the box was mirror-imaged but otherwise identical. And the ingredients list was virtually the same.

  4. Grubgirl says:

    Wow, thanks for the tip, Ben.
    Keep posting those! I’ll be on the lookout the next time I’m there. I don’t have all the Amy’s offerings memorized but maybe if we see enough of these, we’ll get better at guessing which ones probably are replicas.

  5. Pingback: Cheap Eats Recipes: Meals for 3 Dollars or Less | GrubGirl.

  6. Pingback: Trader Joe’s vs Amy’s Organic: Pesto Pizza | GrubGirl.

  7. Ann Onymous says:

    Um, well, yeah. As a TJ’s employee, I can assure you (anonymously, of course), that you’ve figured it out. Yup.

    Now, here’s a test. Look closely at one of Annie Chun’s noodle bowls. Now look at TJ’s noodle bowls.

    Oooh, have I said too much?

  8. HIme says:

    If they’re the same then one of the 2 companies needs to answer to the FDA because the fat content listed on both products is not the same. Amy’s claims their fat content at 19 grams, while it’s at 23 grams for Trader Joes.

  9. Jim says:

    One thing everyone seems to forget is that Amy’s is ORGANIC. That may not seem like a big deal, and not worth the price difference, but look at the side effects of what these pesticides cause, including cancer, and you decide what your health is worth to you. Save two bucks here, lose thousands later..and your life. I am not over-stating this either.

  10. Grubgirl says:

    @Jim – the point of the article was that the Trader Joe’s offering is also organic and is Amy’s food, white-labeled.

  11. Ginevera says:

    Harvest market is cheap and organic here in Virginia. cheaper than Amy’s but I’ve never seen trader joes around here…

  12. Only me says:

    They are both the same. Amy’s makes them for TJ’s. Identical. Both organic. Both the same products. Not sure why the fat content is labeled differently though….nice catch!

  13. Claudia says:

    i’ve known this for a while. as a person with a severe egg allergy, i have been enjoying Amy’s products for years as a way to eat foods that i have never seen before without eggs (i.e. ravioli, tortellini, meatloaf) and these products are most certainly the exact same! how many other eggless tortellini’s have you seen? :-)Good Job TJ!

  14. Lyndsay says:

    Trader Joe’s Black Bean Enchiladas are also made by Amy’s, which is great to know since my 3 and 1 year olds love them!

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