Whole Foods Market

{{foodnav}}{{cquote|Whole Foods: Gentrification in edible form.|||[[Last Week Tonight|John Oliver]]<ref name=JO>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9gGL1cnnhg</ref>}}
'''Whole Foods Market Inc''' is a "natural" supermarket [[corporation|chain]] primarily in the business of selling overpriced [[organic]] fruits and vegetables, [[gluten-free]] just-about-everything (except for the gluten flour), and high-end touches like wine bars and exotic takeout items. The store has very high appeal to [[environmentalist]]s and [[liberals]] but is a nightmare both for [[scientific|scientifically]]-literate [[skeptic]]s and [[Poor people|people with low budgets]] &mdash; which is how it’s earned the nickname "Whole Paycheck".

While it started in the [[US]], Whole Foods has expanded to [[Canada]] and the [[UK]], to their muted dismay.

On 16 June 2017, Amazon announced the acquisition of Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. Following the conclusion of the deal at the end of 2017, Whole Foods became a subsidiary of Amazon, substantially boosting Amazon's presence as a physical retailer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/16/business/dealbook/amazon-whole-foods.html|title=Amazon to Buy Whole Foods in $13.7 Billion Deal|last=Merced|first=Michael|last2=Wingfield|first2=Nick|work=The New York Times|date=June 16, 2017|accessdate=June 16, 2017}}</ref> It was an all-cash deal and the biggest transaction ever for Amazon.

==Scope==
Whole Foods began in that paradise known as Austin, [[Texas]].<ref group=Note>Considered to be an island of Liberalism in the [[Bible Belt|Great Conservative Sea]], so it's not as weird as it sounds.</ref> It has over 430 stores, employs more than 91,000 people, and has gross sales of $14.2 billion and profits of about $0.5 billion each year. Altogether, it is the 8th largest supermarket in the U.S.<ref name=Fast />

==Food==

===Organic and non-GMO only===
[[File:GMO Deception.jpg|thumb|right|[[Appeal to nature|Because nature is better]]. (We presume that the walls, shelves, and cash registers are all naturally-grown, too.)]]
Whole Foods market is a huge supporter of organic foods only, making great efforts to minimize any [[GMO|genetically engineered food]] sold in their store and encouraging their customers to support the "Just Label It" campaign. Their website states, “We are the first national grocery chain to set a deadline for full GMO transparency and our GMO labeling goes further than the state laws and initiatives for labeling that are pending. This means we are the first to do a lot of this work and will be paving the way for those who follow."<ref>[http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/gmo-fast-facts Whole Foods: GMO Fast Facts]</ref> In other words, Whole Foods is paving the way toward scientific illiteracy, since there is no scientific evidence that GMO food is harmful or of any concern for public health.

Whole Foods' entire argument against GMOs reads "Crops are currently modified to survive herbicide treatment, produce their own pesticides and resist certain diseases," which entirely fails to argue why ''any'' of this would remotely be considered a ''down''side.<ref name=Forbes>http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevensalzberg/2014/08/18/the-3-dumbest-things-about-whole-foods-market/</ref>

Their plans to shame GM food have been suffering because almost all livestock in the USA are fed at least partly on GM corn while 90% of American cheese uses rennet produced by genetically engineered bacteria (in addition to coming from cows that are probably fed GM corn). This means that, in practice, almost no meat or dairy will meet their standards.<ref>[http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/aug/07/whole-foods-gmo-label-mandate-organic-raw-dairy-cheese-corn-grain-fed Quel Fromage! Whole Foods' GMO labels make trouble for cheesemakers], Clare Leschin-Hoar, The Guardian, 7 August 2014</ref>

Apparently, even Whole Foods' almost-entirely GMO-free shelves are insufficient for those of the [[Alex Jones|InfoWars]] type, who link it to [[Monsanto|"deceptive industry marketing"]].<ref>http://www.infowars.com/whole-foods-caught-in-false-advertising-scandal/</ref><ref>http://sgtreport.com/2012/10/whole-foods-caught-in-false-advertising-scandal/</ref><ref>http://www.activistpost.com/2012/09/propaganda-in-grocery-store-food-rating.html</ref>

===Overpriced===

{{cquote|I love shopping at Whole Foods. Because I love organic produce and I cannot stand having money.|||[[Stephen Colbert]]<ref name=LSSC>https://archive.org/details/WCBS_20151006_033500_The_Late_Show_With_Stephen_Colbert</ref>}}

For years, Whole Foods has been the center of bad [[PR|press]] for overpriced foods.

On ''[[Last Week Tonight|Last Week Tonight with John Oliver]]'', John Oliver ridiculed Whole Foods for selling bizarre merchandise such as asparagus in a water bottle for $5.99, specialty honey for $79.99, and chocolate-flavored toothpaste for 11.99.<ref name=JO /><ref>[http://www.theodent.com/products_kids.html Chocolate-flavored toothpaste actually doesn't sound that bad to be honest.]</ref>

According to a Bloomberg Intelligence study, a group of 20 common items used in the holiday feast was priced at $87.91 at Whole Foods versus $72.28 at Trader Joe's (another very pro-organic store, which itself is not known for low prices).<ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-23/whole-foods-value-push-stumbles-with-pricey-thanksgiving-dinner</ref>

Over the summer of 2015, New York City’s Department of Consumer Affairs announced an investigation into Whole Foods for "systemic overcharging for pre-packaged foods."<ref>http://www1.nyc.gov/site/dca/media/pr062415.page</ref> The agency tested 80 different kinds of prepackaged products at New York Whole Foods outlets and found all had mislabeled weights. The agency released the following statement: "Our inspectors tell me this is the worst case of mislabeling they have seen in their careers, which DCA and New Yorkers will not tolerate." For a store to be one of the largest promoters of the "Just Label It" campaign against [[GMO]]s while being called the store with the "worst case of mislabeling," '''this is incredibly [[ironic]]'''.

In response, Whole Foods has launched "365", a purportedly lower-priced brand.<ref>http://www.ahundredmonkeys.com/deconstruct-365-by-whole-foods/</ref>

===Infected===
In 2015, the company recalled 44 products<ref>http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/product-recalls</ref> over concerns about listeria contamination. While the company shuns safe GMOs, listeria can pose serious health problems including high fever, severe headaches, nausea, and diarrhea. It can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths and can be potentially fatal to young children and elderly people.

====Whole Maggots Market====
In 2014, all-natural 100% organic gluten-free maggots were discovered in the food sold at the Noe Valley Whole Foods store located in San Francisco. The maggots were exposed by Whole Foods employee Marc Melancon, who claimed to have seen over 40 maggots in a meat case.<ref>http://sfist.com/2014/04/28/noe_valley_whole_foods_afflicted_wi.php</ref> The Whole Foods store claimed that they only found one wriggly fly larva in the display case, the Health Department confirmed what everyone already knows: If you see one maggot, there are more somewhere and ordered the meat department to completely clean all the floor sinks and drains, which may have been the source of the problem.

While the presence of maggots is disturbing, even worse was that the Whole Foods store was aware of the infestation and continued to sell the meat for 7 hours after the maggots were discovered. In a later interview, Mr. Melancon admitted that he now feels bad he continued to sell the meat to customers, knowing that there were maggots in it.<ref>http://www.thefarmersdaughterusa.com/2014/05/whole-foods-meat-with-side-of-maggot.html</ref> But hey, maggots and rotten meat are a very natural thing of life. Let this be a lesson again: natural does not necessarily mean good.

==Woo==
===Alternative medicine===
[[File:WomanHomeopathy.jpg|thumb|right|200px|What is this [[Homeopathy|shit]]?]] 
{{cquote|Not sure which supplement to choose? Grab a full-spectrum wellness or immune support formula. These combinations of [[Herbal supplement|herbs]], [[Vitamin supplement|vitamins]], minerals and [[antioxidants]] are specifically designed to effectively improve overall [[wellbeing]] and enhance immune support.<ref name=Forbes /><ref name=BeGood />}}
Whole Foods goes beyond wanting people to eat healthy by selling them [[Alternative medicine|"alternative" remedies to medicine]], one of which is [[Homeopathy|homeopathic medicines]] which are little more than [[snake oil]].<ref name=Forbes /> Whole Foods won’t sell the pain relievers aspirin and ibuprofen because they’re not "natural" [[Irony|in spite of aspirin being appropriated by the altie community]];<ref group=Note>Aspirin, or acetylsalasomethingorother, originated in willow bark.  About a third of all medicine originated in plants.  This fact gets bandied about by alties as "proof" that their plant is the next cure-all, even though aspirin has been tested and proven while the stuff not sold in isolated and measured dosages are generally not tested.</ref> to fill the gap, the "Whole Body" department sells a wide range of [[nutritional supplement]]s,<ref name=Forbes /><ref name=BeGood>http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/sites/default/files/media/Global/Departments/Department%20Article/Be%20good%20-%20BGTYWB/begood-1011.pdf</ref> because nothing says "natural" more than stalking the shelves grabbing plastic supplement bottles made from a factory, well aware that humans have evolved for thousands of years with their fragile normal nutrient deficiency that requires supplementation to survive while every other animal seems to do fine without supplements.

===Literature===
The book section and magazine stands are not immune to [[pseudoscience]] and [[Quackery|quackery]]. Copies of [[pseudoscience|pseudoscientific]] magazines like ''[[What Doctors Don't Tell You]]'' (a British export magazine) can be found at Whole Foods. Books like ''The Coconut Oil Miracle'' and ''Herbal Medicine, Healing, and Cancer'', which was written by a theologian, can be found in the book section.

===Paleo diet===
{{main|Paleo diet}}
Whole foods sells the ''Paleo Living'' magazine (which is all about [[Paleo diet]]s) and a variety of products from "Nom Nom Paleo".<ref>http://nomnompaleo.com/post/92609366848/nom-nom-paleo-invades-whole-foods-market</ref><ref>https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/service/nom-nom-paleo-shopping-list-recipes</ref> As a result, it's been endorsed by paleo dieters.<ref>http://www.paleoplan.com/resources/whole-foods-shopping-guide/</ref>

==Employee treatment==
[[stopped clock|Whole Foods ''does'' treat their employees well.]]

All employees of the company can look up the salary of any member of the company, and vast amounts of company data are made public to their employees.<ref>http://www.businessinsider.com/whole-foods-employees-have-open-salaries-2014-3</ref><ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/news/at-whole-foods-paychecks-are-public/</ref> The average full-time employee makes $19.16 an hour, and the company has been listed on FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" for 18 consecutive years.<ref name=Fast>http://media.wholefoodsmarket.com/fast-facts/</ref>

That said, there was one ''rather'' displeased employee.<ref>[http://archive.is/http://gawker.com/5824287/read-a-disgruntled-whole-foods-employees-epic-resignation-letter Read a Disgruntled Whole Foods Employee's Epic Resignation Letter]. Archived from the original Gawker article.</ref>

In contrast to the appearance of such a [[corporation|company]], its co-founder John Mackey appears to be largely [[libertarian]]. He wrote, "I’m an unabashed, complete [[free market|free-enterprise]] [[capitalist]] enthusiast. I see business as fundamentally heroic … [but] it could be so much better.”<ref>http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jan/25/business/la-fi-mo-whole-foods-john-mackey-20130125</ref> The idea of paying your employees well enough that they don't need any state or federal aid would seem to be an ideal move for someone who is truly seeking to minimize the role of government in people's lives; it's a shame more don't take Mackey's approach in this regard.

==Environmental impact==
Whole Foods has made efforts to be a green leader on the environment, such as being the first US supermarket to eliminate disposable plastic grocery bags,<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/23/business/23bags.html?_r=0</ref> buying fish from certified [[Sustainability|sustainable]] fisheries,<ref>http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/seafood-quality-standards</ref><ref>http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/mission-values/seafood-sustainability/wild-caught-seafood-sustainability-ratings</ref> and ensuring animals were treated humanely.<ref>http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/about-our-products/quality-standards/animal-welfare-standards</ref>

However, they did not join a consortium of retail industries aimed to create an industry-wide sustainability index for the lifecycle of products. Further, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey argues that there is no scientific consensus regarding the causes of [[climate change]].<ref>http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2010/01/whole-foods-john-mackey-climate-skeptic</ref>

==Boycott==
In 2009, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey wrote an opinion piece in the [[Wall Street Journal]] that began with a quote from [[Margaret Thatcher]] and argued that [[Americans]] do not have an intrinsic right to [[healthcare]]. Soon thereafter, a large number of customers got on [[Twitter]] and started a [[boycott]]. Unlike most critics of [[Affordable Care Act|Obama's health initiatives]], Mackey offers eight alternative [[libertarian]] reforms.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8216685.stm</ref>

==See also==
*[[Genetically modified food]]
*[[Greenwashing]]

==External links==
*[http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com Official website]
*[https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2015/08/20/overheard-at-whole-foods/ Overheard at Whole Foods] (truly insane shit)
*[http://southpark.cc.com/clips/lit77f/nothing-for-hungry-kids Nothing for Hungry Kids], [[South Park]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

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[[Category:Business]]
[[Category:Food woo]]
[[Category:Food woo promoters]]

Categories: Business, Food woo, Food woo promoters