Trader Joe’s is well-known for its diverse array of products, which include vegan, vegetarian, and even kosher options. However, that doesn’t mean everything in the store is kosher, which is a point of concern if you abide by the laws that require you to only eat kosher food.
For instance, lollipops: they are certainly not something most people view as kosher in most scenarios. Even at a place like Trader Joe’s, can you really expect the lollipops to be kosher? Trader Joe’s Lollipops are labeled as pareve, which means they are made from kosher or kosher certified ingredients.
It’s an understandable question: people who live by a kosher diet would like to eat candy too. That’s why we are going to tell you everything you need to know about the kosher status of Trader Joe’s signature lollipops.
What is Kosher Food?
It would take a very long time to fully explain the origin of kosher food and why it is important. Thankfully, there is an easy way to explain it simply: kosher food is any food or beverage that is allowable by traditional Jewish dietary laws. It’s not about how food is cooked, but rather a system of rules based on religion and history.
So, it’s not quite the same as something like veganism or vegetarianism, per se. Kosher food is arbitrarily defined based on societal customs, not any particular category of food.
It’s very complicated, and you’d have to read up on a full list of information if you really wanted to know the full extent of what kosher means.
For now, just keep in mind that kosher food is about religious rules, not about the specifics of food, (such as meat, not meat, cruelty-free, etc.).
The only thing that determines whether or not food is kosher is the arbitrary rules that define kosher in the first place.
Ingredients in Trader Joe’s Lollipops
The ingredients included in Trader Joe’s lollipops are as follows:
Organic evaporated cane juice (sugar), organic tapioca syrup, citric acid, natural flavors (watermelon, pomegranate, orange oil, lemon oil, raspberry), vegetable color (red cabbage, purple carrots, turmeric, annatto).
As you can see, there is no meat or dairy in this product. This product is labeled “pareve”. That means it is a kosher product that contains neither of those.
If a kosher product does contain meat or dairy, it has a different label on it. The “pareve” label means you can rest assured: Trader Joe’s organic lollipops are legally and officially kosher.
Trader Joe’s Policies on Kosher Food
Trader Joe’s doesn’t have any special policies regarding kosher food, other than a policy letting everyone know that such products are sold there, and that they are properly labeled.
In other words, you can find many kosher products at Trader Joe’s, and you’ll know they are kosher because they’ll be labeled as such.
Other than that, there are no particular policies at Trader Joe’s tied to kosher food. Just know that all products that are kosher at Trader Joe’s will be labeled, and anything you find that is not labeled is not guaranteed to be kosher.
How to Determine if a Product is Kosher
If you know all of the rules related to kosher food, then naturally, you could read through all of the ingredients on any food item and see if there are any violations with those rules.
But even that isn’t assured. Even if the ingredients are kosher, the way they were processed may not be, as there are rules regarding food processing as well.
So, how can you tell if a product is kosher? Well, if a product is being sold specifically as a kosher product (the fact that it is kosher is a selling point), it will be labeled appropriately.
For instance, in the case of Trader Joe’s organic lollipops, there is a label on the packaging that says “pareve”. That means it’s kosher without meat or dairy.
Naturally, there are labels for kosher food that does contain meat or dairy as well.
That being the case, as long as you know what these labels are, you will be able to determine if a product is officially “kosher”, and in what category of kosher it is, since some foods cannot be eaten together under these laws.
Alternatives to Trader Joe’s Lollipops for Kosher Diets
Well, the good news is that Trader Joe’s lollipops are kosher, meaning you don’t need an alternative to them, strictly speaking.
If you adhere to a kosher diet and want to give these lollipops a try, there’s nothing stopping you from doing so!
That said, maybe you don’t want lollipops in particular. Maybe you would like some other kosher sweets? Not to worry, there are plenty of other options for you! You can try any of the following delicious options:
- Cinnamon Brooklyn Babka
- Half-Moon Cookies
- Chocolate Coconut Macaroons
- Gluten and Dairy-Free Homestyle Pancakes
- Organic Brown Rice Marshmallow Treats
- Dark Chocolate Covered Mini Pretzels
- Vanilla Fudge Chip Ice Cream
And of course, much, much more. All of the products listed above are kosher, but there are plenty of other kosher products at Trader Joe’s as well.
Really, you aren’t hurting for alternatives if you aren’t interested in organic lollipops for some reason.
Final Thoughts
Trader Joe’s organic lollipops are in fact kosher: specifically, they are pareve, which means they are a kosher product that contains neither meat nor dairy. You can be sure of this because of the “pareve” label on the packaging, which guarantees that the product is legally kosher-certified.
If you want some alternatives, there are plenty of other kosher sweets at Trader Joe’s, including cookies, ice cream, and marshmallow treats, among many others. But if you just want the lollipops, you needn’t worry about them breaking any kosher rules: they don’t.
Trader Joe’s is a great place to find kosher food items, ranging from candy like the lollipops we talked about today to full-fledged meals. So if you are having difficulty filling your table and pantry with kosher options, look no further than Trader Joe’s. You’ll have plenty of delicious options available to you.