Special report: Is Trader Joe's shells and cheese made by Annie's?

Nina and I thought that Trader Joe's Organic Shells and White Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese was the best boxed mac and cheese we had ever tried. In the review, I said that it was, among other things, "Better than Annie's." Some readers piped up in the comments to say that it is, in fact, made by Annie's, and is the same product.

I was skeptical at first, because the closest match in the extensive Annie's mac & cheese lineup that I found in my local supermarket did not look like an especially close match to the TJ's product, judging by the nutritional information. But then I looked at the Annie's web site, and discovered that I was not looking at the closest matching version. I was looking at this one, when I should have been looking at this one. I went to a different store (Earth Fare) and found it.

Thus prepared, Nina and I did a comparison taste test.

The contenders:

First we check the nutritional information:

The numbers are identical. The ingredients lists use slightly different wording, but I think they're describing the same items. Notice the oddity, however, that the two products use different organic-certifying organizations. That's peculiar, because if they're the same thing, made in the same factory and just put in different boxes, why would you use two different certifying agencies? Hmmm.

Cooking directions:

The saucepan directions are essentially the same, though TJ's adds a microwave method, and Annie's adds a suggestion for a variation made with yogurt.

I cooked up both as close to identically as I could (though I messed up a bit; I got in a hurry and didn't drain the TJ's shells quite as thoroughly as I should have, which made that one come out a little more watery). We put half of a serving of each on our plates: they looked identical. We tasted them. I thought they were completely indistinguishable (except for the water factor), even after going back and forth between them ten times or so.

The price comparison? Well, a few months ago when I made these purchases, I saved both receipts just so that I would be able to include that important information. And now I can't find the darn things. I'll try to remember to go back to both stores to look. Just on general principle, I'd wager that TJ's is about a dollar less.

Verdict: 

They're the same product.