Is Whole Foods Sustainable or Just a High-Priced Hoax? I Took a Job There to Find Out

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Is Whole Foods Sustainable or Just a High-Priced Hoax? I Took a Job There to Find Out

By Jill Richardson, Ig Publishing. Posted August 18, 2009.

Was Whole Foods truly sustainable, or was it just a high-priced version of the same food one could find in a conventional supermarket?



From Recipe for America by Jill Richardson. Reprinted with permission of Ig Publishing.


As a sustainable-food aficionado, my attitude toward Whole Foods and other national chains offering organic food changes based on the available alternatives.

When I can buy directly from local farmers and food artisans, I avoid places like Whole Foods. However, when I am on the road and my next best option is Subway, I look to Whole Foods as an oasis.

After reading The Omnivore's Dilemma's harsh account of Whole Foods and its suppliers (Michael Pollan traces some of the food sold at Whole Foods back to its suppliers, and what he discovers is not necessarily the "supermarket pastoral" that the company promises) and then seeing Pollan debate Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, I decided to get to the bottom of the matter by taking a job in the bakery at a Whole Foods in San Diego. My goal was to answer the following question: Was Whole Food truly sustainable, or was it just a high-priced version of the same food one could find in a conventional supermarket?

Right off the bat, Whole Foods made an impressive effort to train its new staff members on how to properly handle organic food. I, along with the rest of the new hires, had to complete an eight-week training course with team trainers before going before team and store managers to be quizzed on the information we had learned. In addition, we had to complete computer-based training on various topics (earning a free organic-cotton T-shirt in the process). .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/environment/141973/is_whole_foods_sustainable_or_just_a_high-priced_hoax_i_took_a_job_there_to_find_out/

Plus they are progressive. Employee I knew who worked for Joe's said they even offered health insurance.. Whole Foods. I don't trust anything soo obviously Yuppie.

"part-timers." In fact, after I had left TJs and started another job (first day), I had appendicitis. My new insurance would not kick in for 30 days. My TJs insurance was in effect for another 10 days or so. TJs insurance paid for the appendectomy.

Does Whole Foods offer Health care. As mentioned above. Trader Joe's does.. After the recent political comments of Whole Foods, CEO- we are curious. ..?

Wow, Whole Foods throws out everything "left over" except bread? How come lots of other places give other item to food banks...

Of course, I just swore off Whole Foods because of the CEO mouthing off against single payer and saying there was no right to healthcare. I am sure my local small healthfood store will be happy, not to mention the farmers' markets I already buy at.

but it certainly is a huge step in the right direction. Until every city and town has its own thriving farmers' markets and locavore restaurants/bakeries, we'll have to make do. I'll take Whole Foods over Piggly Wiggly or Ingles any day.

We cannot realistically expect places like Whole Foods to be based on the locavore movement. There simply is not enough demand. Not to mention the logistical problems associated with serving only locally-grown/raised foods.

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