a great understanding of its consumers desires. The organic products retailer started inthe 1980s in Austin, Texas, with 19 members. Today, it is a public-owned50,000-employee retailer with 346 stores in USA, Canada and the UK. Accordingto Forbes, its market cap is $15.5 billion.The company is listed as the second greenest retailer in the USA,according to a ranking of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA). 100% of itsenergy comes from renewable sources such as solar and wind.WHMsvalues of selling organic products, creating partnershipsand growing wealth through profits in a way that leads to good things forconsumers, company and the planet are a conscious form of capitalism, in thewords co-CEO John Mackey.Itsmarketing strategy is to promote the idea of a healthier life and also to teachpotential consumers the value of organics in theirlives. But WFM also sells non-organic products in its shops.The companys 1,2 million Facebook fans are fed with posts aboutcooking tips, offers and sustainability ideals. Recently,the company partnered with organizations linked with the First Lady MichelleObama to promote healthy meals to children.Even so, WFM has been nicknamed Whole Paycheck, in allusion toits high prices (20 to 25% above normal food prices, the company declared). Mr Mackeysaid the Wall Street Journal that part of the population doesnt want junk food,and theyre willing to pay up for it.But all these efforts to promote health might be flawed at leastin organics main flagship nutritional benefits. A study released by StanfordUniversity last year showed that there is no substantial difference between organicsand conventional food.But co-CEO Walter Robb said to the Daily Ticker program that characteristicslike organics being more sustainable and having fewer pesticides (alsodisclosed in the study) still justify the purchase of these products.Despite the controversy, market specialists suggest that WholeFoods shares can be a nutritive addition to investors portfolios. Thecompanys last quarterly report showed a net income of $146 million, a result22,7% more than the same period of 2011 ($119 million). In March 22nd, WHM shares in Nasdaq were quoted at $87.78.In one year, they reacheda peak of $101.86 and a lowest of $80.81. In February, Mr Robb revealed in an interview for Bloombergplans to triple the number of stores in the USA. Thechain is to open a health resort in Austin in threeyears.Whole Foods Markets assets include distribution facilities, seafood-processingplant, bakehouse facilities, meat and produce procurement centres, etc.The companys revenue for 2013 is expected to be $3,86 billion,13.8% higher than of 2012 ($3,391 billion).Butthe fight for a chunk of the $30 billion organic market in the USA is ferocious,and WFM has fierce competitors like Walmart. The retail-store giant operatesover 28 countries and has a market cap of over $ 208 billion, according toForbes.Thenumber 24 in Forbes Worlds Most Powerful Brands list was also the biggestorganics seller in 2011, according to the Organic Trade Association. WholeFoods was placed sixth.Butthe reason to this is simply numeric, since the other companies have morestores across the United States. Costco has about 600, Supertarget and Safewayabout 1,750, Kroger has 2,500 and Walmart more than 9,500 stores underdifferent banners.Even by having only 4% of its energy consumption coming fromgreen sources, Walmart