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
I am so upset! what is going to happen?
“Soy to the world” was all over WF store during the holidays.
Yes, while WF has a meat and seafood department, they have a pro-soy vegan agenda stated by the uppermost levels of their corporate management.
I can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. I have tried everything to get the most decent foods that we are able to find. The stores here are stupid gross in what they sell and the healthfood store costs FAR out price the items sold in Whole Foods. I love shopping there but like you said there are some things that they support that I don’t agree with. But then again so do video stores and shopping malls and the like. I think its up to us to choose the best we can at what we can afford and do our best. And if that means swinging by whole foods then so be it. On a positive note they are trying harder then my local Walmart or Stracks THATS FOR SURE!!! I do support our local produce store 100% although its not 100% perfect.
What a bummer about those veggies being from China- that basically means we have no idea if it’s organic at all.
I do think that comparing Whole Foods to Walmart is a HUGE stretch, though. Into corporate profit- yes. Treating their employees the same as Walmart- nope. Most are offered health insurance, for example.
The fact of the matter is that Whole Foods is the best place to buy grass-fed beef- we get the same price per pound as folks who buy from a local farm. With three kids under four, I need a little convenience in my life- so I’ll keep shopping at Whole Foods for now (sans the Chinese veggies).
I’ve often thought Whole Foods is a place for the health conscious to buy convenience foods. Since I’m not into convenience food there’s not a whole lot I buy at Whole Foods, but there are some things that I will purchase there such as my ACV, my celtic sea salt, digestive enzymes just to name a few. I agree Whole Foods has caved in a lot of areas, but they do fill the need for many consumers who want organic foods and produce. Not everyone has the convenience of local health food stores. I certainly don’t and I only get to Whole Foods when I visit my children on the other side of the state every couple of months. I would be delighted if Whole Foods built a store in my area.
The WJLA video the Sarah posted was from 2008. Here is Whole foods response to the wjla story.
I think all of us who read Sarah’s blog are concerned with preparing the healthiest food we can to nourish our families. Whole Foods gives me more “healthy” choices than my other local stores. As a consumer, I read the labels and choose the products that fit my budget. Do I purchase products from China? No. But at least Whole Foods does put the country of origin on the packaging so I know that and can make a different choice.
Lee Ann, thanks for the link, it gives the other side if the story!
I couldn’t agree more! The only way to find local organic food is to buy at a local trusted farm!!!
I’ve boycotted Ho Foods years ago. Good article!
We once walked into a conference in their dining area pushing low-fat vegetarianism to a large group of people. We buy a few items from WF that we can’t source locally.
Some of us don’t have the luxury of small-town health food stores, or of big incomes. My family has–and LIKES–to shop at Whole Foods. It’s our only option. And as for Wal-mart, no, we don’t shop there, but we do frequent Sam’s Club for their resonable deals of bulk items we use frequently. When you have a one-income household, you can’t afford to turn your nose up at large corporations.
Well said.