Instagram Hates Trader Joe's Grilled Chalkidiki Green Olives Being Soaked In Oil

Although some people might hate olives, they come in handy for a variety of situations. Whether you want to keep a salty snack on hand or need some for a charcuterie board, olives pack a lot of flavor in just one bite. If you're an olive lover looking for new flavors or stuffed olives to try, you might think about picking up a jar on your next Trader Joe's run. But based on what customers have been saying online, Trader Joe's olive products have missed the mark.

In 2022, Instagram thought that Trader Joe's olive salad was too oily, and people have a similar gripe with a new olive that has recently been rolled out. Instagram user @traderjoeslist posted a photo of the store's grilled and pitted chalkidiki olives, and while a few people enjoyed them, most people wouldn't purchase these olives. One person who did buy the olives said they were "so oily. But sad because they have good flavor," but others wouldn't even think about grabbing these olives because of this. Not only do they expect the product to be too oily, customers also aren't loving what type of oil these olives are sitting in.

The main complaint that Trader Joe's customers are expressing on the Instagram post is that these olives are sitting in sunflower oil. This tends to be a common critique of Trader Joe's products. For example, shoppers had a problem with Trader Joe's oat creamer because of the addition of sunflower oil, even though this meant that there would be more non-dairy options available.

Generally, if you're looking for high-quality olives, you should be looking for olives that are packed in brine unless you're buying oil-cured olives, which have been cured in salt before being preserved in oil. Still, this particular oil may not be the best type of oil out there to consume regularly since sunflower oil may not be as nutritious as you might think. According to WebMD, sunflower oil is lower in unsaturated fats and has a good amount of Vitamin E, but its low smoke point means that cooking with it could mean a higher risk of cancer because of the aldehydes that form.

One shopper said that using sunflower oil rather than olive oil was "cheaping out," and another person said that the swap from olive oil to sunflower oil was a "red flag." Ultimately, if you've been on the fence about these grilled olives, it's probably best to pass on them. Instead, opt for these garlic & jalapeño stuffed olives which have better reviews.