Whole Foods Boss: We "Sell A Bunch Of junk"

The Guardian:

When Whole Foods arrived in the UK two years ago it was hailed as a mecca for those determined to follow a healthy diet. But today the struggling US store's chief executive will probably want to eat his words after admitting that, alongside the organic carrots and bags of granola, the shops "sell a bunch of junk".

Read the whole story: The Guardian

Comments

[KIVPossum]

04:51 PM on 08/12/2009

Of course they sell junk. If a store only sold healthful products they've have no customers.

[condor101]

03:36 PM on 08/12/2009

Be a True Locavore. Buy at your Local Farmers Market.

Buying at your local Whole Foods or Wal Mart does not count.

[jsgaetano]

12:39 PM on 08/12/2009

I applaud his honesty.

It's not often an executive will tell the truth, rather than bolster an illusion which fattens their bottom line.

[themainpoint]

07:58 PM on 08/11/2009

I've been shopping at Whole Foods since they opened and little by little, their standards have dropped.

I've always paid more at Whole Foods because I didn't have to police their products and used to have some confidence that they were doing that for me... but those days are over.

Many of the foods they sell now have "organic" ingredients that are from China and places that do not well regulate their "organic" standards.

The last time I went I found out their salad bar has tofu with genetically modified soy (or at least no guarantee that it isn't, which usually means that it is).

I also bought SILK soy milk in the red carton,,which is a product that used to be organic, and one I've been buying regularly for over a decade. When I got home, I noticed the carton now said "natural" and found out that SILK pulled a switch on its loyal customers: the same red carton now contained soy milk that was not organic and probably genetically modified. The company now puts the organic soy milk in a green carton. But of course those of us who did our research long ago when they first came out just reach for the red carton and it took a while to notice. The fact that whole foods would sell a brand that operates that way made me trust them even less.

I now shop mostly local farms.

[singermuse]

07:45 PM on 08/07/2009

Yes! They DO sell a bunch of junk, and very over priced as well if I might add.
Do yourselves a favor, buy LOCAL from farmer's markets, and buy SEASONALLY.
Eating a simple diet saves so much for the planet. We really don't need most of the packaged stuff.
Fresh produce and seasonal fruits will do the trick...as long as we work to make sure EVERYONE can have access, like say in urban areas?
Check out the 100 mile diet online.

[skippyB]

10:57 PM on 08/06/2009

While I don't shop at Whole Foods - this guy's at least honest. A lot of food is junk - a lot of good food is junk. I look at food as incredible edibles versus really nutritious food - and let's face it - anything with sugar in it is not food. Wine is not food. White bread is not food. Ice cream is not food. Cheese is not food. Pasta is not food. White rice is not food. Most of that soy garbage is not food. Doesn't mean we don't eat it, it's not organic - chocolate is not food.
Whole Foods offers a choice. It's not up to him what people will buy. I shudder to think of all the garbage so many vegans and vegetarians eat.

[JolieN]

05:48 PM on 08/06/2009

At a rediculuos price too

[MSaxe]

05:46 PM on 08/06/2009

Bring back Oat Willies!

[truthartbeauty]

12:37 PM on 08/08/2009

I remember Oat Willies. that was when an old hippie organic food store was a real organic food store!

[OLMEQ]

05:40 PM on 08/06/2009

Whole Foods has always been the biggest scam ever in my opinion... Charging more for so-called organic foods that are grown without the harmful stuff just seemed to be kind of weird. It cost more to genetically alter the food than it does to just grow it naturally....

[Alarmist]

11:07 AM on 08/10/2009

As time goes on, I find myself rarely entering a Whole Foods. I used to think it was the shopping mecca, but they have regular apples sitting alongside organic apples, which sell for double the price. That makes me want to buy the regular apples, and I wonder how much money they make from their non-organic products.

It does seem odd to charge more for not genetically altering the food (which tends to be smaller, too). But maybe those farmers don't get subsidies, or have large plots of land.

[Jlong]

04:15 PM on 08/10/2009

I think it costs more to buy non-genetically altered food because the crop yield is less. Genetically altered foods are more pest resistant and are altered to ... well grow bigger and more.

[Bobzmcishl]

05:34 PM on 08/06/2009

Whole Foods is too expensive.

[RnR]

05:29 PM on 08/06/2009

Well, you know since Whole Foods bought Wild Oats the store has taken a dive. The produce is not as fresh, they've discontinued a lot of it. They've destroyed what used to be one of the best natural/organic grocery stores I've ever seen. Discontinued many bulk products and now supply little, 8 ounce prepackaged crap or their own preferred brands. I feel personally accosted by Whole Foods :)

[RevSpaminator]

05:13 PM on 08/06/2009

I love how the store tries to offset the unhealthy stuff they sell with education. There is this myth that people don't know what is and what isn't healthy. Most people know very well how to eat healthy. We choose not to do so because the junk is easier to eat and delivers more sensory satisfaction than healthier options. The whole reason why the healthiest foods are fruits, nuts and vegetables is because in nature, they are more accessible than grains, dairy and cured meat. (bread, butter and bacon..umm bacon) If oreos and pizzas grew on trees I'm sure we would have evolved to thrive on diets based on those kinds of foods.

[weatherwaxx]

05:06 PM on 08/06/2009

Wild Oats came in and pushed the local, small-scale natural markets out of business--they offered to buy them out and then undersold the ones who wouldn't sell out until they had to close. Whole Foods did the same to them.

Look into local farming produce co-ops. You get better food, cheaper, and help your community survive.

[DressEyebrows]

05:02 PM on 08/06/2009

Utterly misleading and out-of-context headline.

From the article, it sounded like he was drawing a distinction between the company's early years, when they focused on selling only healthy whole foods, and what they currently have -- a mix of healthy whole foods, and then all those prepackaged box mixes, bags of chips, candy bars, etc -- the same stuff you find in a regular grocery store, but usually produced from more rarefied ingredients and therefore very expensive. He wasn't declaring that what they sell is "a bunch of junk" overall.

You can get good value at Whole Foods - stick to the bulk bins! I also prefer to get meat, poultry, and fish there when I can afford it. But all that overpriced, overpackaged stuff I give a miss.

[RobertaAddington]

04:57 PM on 08/06/2009

Here in Holland they won't allow US Beef to be sold in the supermarkets.

I buy Argentinian beef here. The ribeyes are the best I ever tasted.

No hormones or crap fed.

[MSaxe]

05:47 PM on 08/06/2009

We can't even get red wine without sulphites. No wonder the winos get headaches.