The Big Problem Trader Joe's Shoppers Have With Its New Oat Creamer
Plant-based dairy alternatives have been on the rise in recent years. It appears that plant-based food products are here to stay, with the market for non-dairy products expected to rise to a whopping $40.6 billion worldwide by 2026, according to New Food. Vegan and non-dairy creamers have accounted for a good deal of that growth, with the non-dairy creamer market growing by 40% in 2018 and anticipated to continue an annual global growth rate of 20% to 40% through 2023, per Expert Market Research.
It seems consumers have been clamoring for more plant-based options, and now Trader Joe's is delivering what their customers want. Quite a few shoppers were excited to see that Trader Joe's is finally bringing oat creamer to their shelves. Their brand of new non-dairy Oat Creamer, which is made with vegan, gluten-free oats and pea protein and flavored with brown sugar, had many of their fans raving on social media. The Instagram account @traderjoeslist made a post alerting their followers to the find. "This looks particularly interesting because at first glance it looks like chocolate creamer but it's #brownsugar! I'm excited to give this a whirl in my morning creations! I can't wait to see what sort of froth this creamer can throw down," they wrote, while @traderjoesaficionado posted, "I had to pick this up! I mean, I've been waiting for this for a while. So excited that I picked up two, office and home."
Many shoppers were disappointed to see this creamer contained sunflower oil
Some of their followers seemed equally excited by the new plant-based arrival. "FINALLY TJ'S IS OFFERING A NON DAIRY CREAMER," one person celebrated in an Instagram comment, while another shopper replied, "This literally made my day — So stoked to pick this up at my next trip!" However, not everyone agreed with these positive reviews. Some shoppers were disappointed to see the ingredients list included sunflower oil. The ingredient is typically low in saturated fats, but sunflower oil may not be as nutritious as you think and has been shown to have high amounts of aldehydes, which may increase cancer risk (via Web MD).
"Sunflower oil & gum added ... it's a NO for me," one disappointed user responded, while another lamented, "Why is there sunflower oil in everything." "Aw man! sad this has sunflower oil in it," another Instagrammer replied. "Hate that they put oil in it even if it's a better oil," another user agreed. "That's why I make my own oat milk ... just oats and water — way cheaper and none of that added crap," someone wrote. So while plant-based and non-dairy alternatives may be growing in popularity, it seems that qualification alone is not enough to guarantee shoppers will purchase the product. Based on these responses, many shoppers want to ensure the plant-based products they buy have healthy, wholesome ingredients.