I just found out today that a Whole Foods is going to be built close to my neighborhood. Too bad it’s not an Earth Fare.
While many crunchy, green mamas might rejoice at Whole Foods coming to town, I am in mourning because Whole Foods is basically on par with your “neighborhood”  Walmart.
There is nothing “neighborly” about Walmart or Whole Foods.
What a joke.
Whole Foods is just another cutthroat Corporate Bully dressed in organic, “let’s save the world”, “buy local” disguise with the shareholders in full throttle, profit taking control.
While Whole Foods is undoubtedly counting on health conscious Moms like me in the neighborhood cha-chinging away at the brand spanking new registers, let me just share with you that you won’t see The Healthy Home Economist browsing the aisles there.
I’ll be shopping at the 2 small, local healthfood stores less than a mile away where I’ve shopped for the past 15 years. Â That’s where my business loyalty lies.
I spend almost all my food money with local businesses and local farms. Â Not Whole Foods.
How could I possibly rationalize shopping at Whole Foods which has recently rolled over on the GMO issue in the United States by suggesting that we all need to “learn to live with GMO’s” by accepting the USDAs proposal for “peaceful” coexistence between organics and genetically modified foods?
Here is Whole Foods’ official statement on the matter:
The reality is that no grocery store in the United States, no matter what size or type of business, can claim they are GMO-free. While we have been and will continue to be staunch supporters of non-GMO foods, we are not going to mislead our customers with an inaccurate claim (and you should question anyone who does). Here’s why: the pervasive planting of GMO crops in the U.S. and their subsequent use in our national food supply. 93% of soy, 86% of corn, 93% of cotton, and 93% of canola seed planted in the U.S. in 2010 were genetically engineered. Since these crops are commonly present in a wide variety of foods, a GMO-free store is currently not possible in the U.S. (Unless the store sells only organic foods.)
Since the U. S. national organic standards do not allow the use of GMO ingredients and practices in the growing or production of organic foods, choosing organic is one way consumers can avoid GMO foods. The other is through labeling, of which we are strong supporters.Â
Hey Whole Foods, here’s a novel idea:  How about selling only organic and local foods then? That would solve the problem nicely wouldn’t it?
I don’t know about you, but that statement screams “sell-out” to me. Even more damaging, Whole Foods recently endorsed the peaceful coexistence option with regard to GE alfalfa rather than an outright ban. The unrestricted planting of GE alfalfa that starts as early as this spring threatens the entire grassfeeding dairy industry over the long term as alfalfa hay is an integral part of winter feeding.
Whole Foods is all about corporate profits and management can shade it and couch it any way they like, but the message is loud and clear: Â corporate profit and shareholder gains are more important than sticking to the basic sustainability ideals Whole Foods was founded upon.
Do you want your neighborhood healthfood stores and farmer’s markets to suffer revenue losses from business ruthlessly stripped away by a Whole Foods coming to town?
If not, you can choose to stay away like me and treat Whole Foods like just another supermarket or Walmart: Â a place of last resort where budget dollars are rarely if ever spent.
Note: as of July 2012, it appears that Whole Foods is still sourcing much of its “organic” produce from China which provides further verification of the video below.
In addition, as of June 2015, Whole Foods’ new veggie rating system can rank conventional produce grown in another country ahead of organic, local produce!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
What I don’t understand is the focus on local healthfood stores. In every place I’ve ever lived, these so-called “health” food stores mostly carry vitamins and a little bit of food and they are super expensive. I don’t get why anybody supports them.
Is it just me, or did most of the WF-loyal commenters miss the point?
This article had no mention of boycotting, just a reminder to think before you shop.
Support local farms and co-ops first. Use Whole Foods as a last resort.
Sarah, you are absolutely right. Whole Foods has sold out to Monsanto and I won’t shop there either.
Well I know I didn’t miss the point! You don’t have to use the word “boycott” to imply (strongly) that no one should spend their money @ WF. I feel like you didn’t read the same article and comments I did. Weird.
Maybe you missed the end, where Sarah made her summarizing point. Here is what I read:
“Do you want your neighborhood healthfood stores and farmer’s markets to suffer revenue losses from business ruthlessly stripped away by a Whole Foods coming to town? If not, you can choose to stay away like me and treat Whole Foods like just another supermarket or Walmart: a place of last resort where budget dollars are rarely if ever spent.”
See the word CHOOSE in there and also LAST RESORT???
You can imply anything you’d like, but the truth is she never said boycott. If she wanted to say it and encourage her readers to do so, she would have been as bold as she always is.
I think you need to move beyond the article and read Sarah’s comments where she calls WF a “sham”, and more. The article was not her last word on the subject.
Sarah, Regarding your question about how long your readers have been eating and living healthy, I would like to share. My journey to health began back in the l970’s with Adelle Davis. Today I am a responsible shopper at my Whole Foods Store here in New England, along with our local winter farm markets and the outstanding summer farm markets. I deeply appreciate the good things that Whole Foods offers. I am a healthy, happily married 72 year-old grandmother of l0 wonderful grandkids. I have never gone through my life being as alarmed as you are by the dangers, hazards, hatreds and faults of our bounty. I would advise you to enjoy yourself more, keep in touch with love and beauty, and focus less on the negative and fear. And, show a little more charity to all, my dear. You are more than merely a source of information and policing , you are also a living energy that you want to use wisely and well.
Ms. Thomas–Thank you for reminding us all not to live in fear and to enjoy and appreciate what we are fortunate to have. Wishing you health and happiness always.
Such wisdom, Linda! I know you intended it for Sarah, but I think this important for all of us! Thank you so much.
I find it amusing that people who don’t even know me so readily like to suggest how I can best live and enjoy my life based on my opinions expressed in a blog post. A bit presumptuous at best.
Linda, I think it would be best for you to reserve your wise words for people you actually know personally and not someone you think you know based on a bunch of words on a computer screen.
I think I’m kind of over being amused by it. I was once amused by your blog because I just thought you were trying to stir up controversy to make your blog more popular. I’m kind of annoyingly tolerant that way, but I think I’m hitting a wall. Maybe it’s more amusing that you don’t know the rest of US or OUR life situations, but you still choose language brimming with hyperbole in order to get an emotional response. The self-righteous rhetoric about how you are ahead-of-the-curve, everyone else might be fooled but you’re not, etc, etc is so old and brimming with pride. You’ve been so “perfect” for so long, you really are out of touch with many of those you are supposedly trying to reach. When you start caring more about the end goal than you do the people who are walking the journey with you, something’s not right. There is always a way to express passion, sincerity, and hope for change without bulldozing half the people on the way. Yes, we know – you’re going to stay “true to yourself no matter what”.
I hope everyone reads all the comments on your blog, so they can see Whole Foods provides many of us with local, organic products we’re very happy with. Not everyone thinks it’s a sham, and there’s much more to the story than your article suggests.
Sorry, but I think calling Whole Foods on par with Walmart is a long reach. With that said, I think everyone has to be a savvy and informed shopper even in Whole Foods. I probably step foot in a regular grocery store (Ie Publix/Kroger) twice a year. Two-thirds of my family’s food comes directly from two local farms, the other third I purchase at Whole Foods. I buy only organic products grown in the US, and I shop their sales and monthly coupons. I am VERY grateful to have a Whole Foods near my home. When I (rarely) run out of my farm meat, my butcher @ Whole Foods provides me with LOCAL, GRASS FED beef, pastured pork, and they have a brand of fully pastured eggs. The fish monger at my Whole Foods is fantastic. SO much wild caught fish. Do they sell some junk I wish they wouldn’t? You betcha – because there’s apparently a market for it. I don’t find it hard to find what I need. Every produce sign labels the country of origin, and I specifically look local produce. They have plenty! I vote with my dollar.
I recently had to run to Kroger late night to the pharmacy and forgot how awful it is in a regular grocer. WAY WAY WAY more total garbage to choose from. I only have to sift through a third as much crap at Whole Foods to find a quality product. They have a locally made brand of unhomogenized yogurt from exclusively grass fed cows. You think I’ll find that at my local walmart? Yeah I don’t think so.
I am vocal to Whole Foods about their position on GMO’s, “China Organics”, etc. I’m not happy about those things, and will continue to vote with my purchases and spread the word so friends/family are informed, but on par with Walmart? Nahhhhh.
It’s gettin’ real in the Whole Foods Parking Lot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UFc1pr2yUU
Brian- LMAO!!!
For the wally wally wal mart shoppers…
Whole Foods is a huge company. Most huge companies have big issues with prices, mission, greed, and other things. Duh, WFs is gonna act like a big corporation. But saying WFs is on par with Walmart is wrong. They aren’t in the same boat. Like WFs or not, we real foodies could not survive without occasional (or regular) trips to WFs. I have found that I save WFs for a “treat” or for those ingredients I can’t get anywhere else. To shop there for your whole grocery list would not be wise because of the prices.
Sarah, I think based on this article that was posted above — — you might want to remove that video from your post.
This is the problem with youtube, blogs, etc. They can be SUCH a vehicle to spread knowledge (and often are), but it only takes the click of a mouse to spread misinformation and then it goes viral and nobody checks their facts. Oh but it came from a “news station” so it must be true! Pfffft.
That news report while a couple of years old, shows a pattern that Whole Foods tricks the public which is why I posted it. A history and pattern of deceit is very important to establish. Here’s the point of posting that video: If Whole Foods can get away with it, they will do it.
It very clearly says while watching the video that Whole Foods had changed The California Blend product so any confusion about the timeframe of the newsreport is simply from people not watching it through. You can be sure there are other products in Whole Foods right now that are from China that just haven’t been reported on yet. Wal-Foods (oops, is that Wal-Mart or Whole Foods we’re talking about here? Mmmmm. They seem the same don’t they?) is a very deceitful corporation.
Bottom line is, you posted a video that was inaccurate. A number of readers have posted a rebuttal from Whole Foods which clarifies the facts. You refuse to remove the video because you cannot stand to be wrong….ever. It calls into question your supposed commitment to the “truth”. I will certainly not be persuaded by a video whose facts are so easily refuted. If your reasoning skills are so warped that you cannot distinguish between the choices at Walmart and Whole Foods there’s something really wrong. There’s certainly nothing wrong with making a commitment to your local health food store as supporting small business is very honorable – but there is little doubt that your small healthfood store is filled with the very same products Whole Foods is, and to claim you make no excuses for this but still shop there is intellectually dishonest.
Not at all. I posted a video that was a completely accurate newstory and the footnotes throughout the video clarified the timeframe. People need to know what happened a few years ago to understand that this is a pattern with Wal-Foods, er I mean Whole Foods.
My small healthfood stores sell raw dairy from local farms and they NEVER sell conventional produce .. only organic and biodynamic. Whole Foods is a sell out on the raw dairy issue and they push a vegan, GMO agenda while pretending to save the world. They also sell so much conventional pesticide laden produce that you often can’t tell what’s organic and what’s not. They are just a juiced up supermarket. Do you even know if the organic produce is really organic when it is sold near the conventional? Do you trust that the person loading the shelves didn’t make a mistake and you are actually buying conventional produce when you oops thought you were buying organic?
And, as for me not wanting to be wrong – ever, you might want to ask my husband about that. I am pretty quick to own up when I mess up and have no problem admitting a mistake. I have a teenager in the house after all so my flaws are frequently pointed out! LOL
Errrr…Wal-Foods? I’m afraid that’s not nearly as clever as you seem to think.
Once again you are attempting to educate the public about something you obviously don’t know enough about.
I’ve lived in four different states and have never remotely found it difficult to distinguish between the certified organic produce and the “conventional” produce. I have always had a very wide variety of organics to choose from (when I’m unable to source from my farmer or farmers market). The produce is not only listed by signage, but the individual organic items are marked by a sticker which begins with the number “9”. Why is that so hard? Not only that, but we have local farmers supplying unsprayed crop that must be labeled “conventional” when it is anything but – all because they don’t have certification. This is the same produce sold at our farmers market. OH FOR SHAME!!! Furthermore, there is fair-trade distinction as well, even when not organic. And why should I care that Whole Foods has a vegan agenda? They supply wonderful local grass-fed meats to those of us who enjoy them. We have a rather large selection of pastured meats form local farms which is well segregated from their other meats.
You might own up to your failures at home, but from what I’ve seen, you’re slow to do so here.
In your ever so humble opinion, of course! LOL Just because you don’t agree with me doesn’t mean I’m wrong. It just means you don’t agree with me.
By the way, you have no idea that what you bought at Wal-Foods was even organic. You have absolutely zero idea. Just like the frozen “organic” veggies from China in 2008. Just because it says its organic doesn’t make it so.
By the way, I can see that you dislike me intensely. Why don’t you just go and read another blog?
With growth comes some compromise. We can stay a fringe movement or we can grow into the mainstream.
Oftentimes I see people becoming so judgmental about the “right” way to do things that they can’t see the forest for the trees.
Sally Fallon Morell always says, “Don’t make food your religion.” This is not a holy war. We are not enemies with companies like Whole Foods. They are the good guys who are trying to help.
Are they perfect? No, of course not. But neither am I, nor is anyone.
Well said. No one (especially no corporation) is perfect. And food IS NOT our religion, though many people treat it as such.