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Whole Foods launches Cleaning Product Rating system for customers

by Angela April 29th, 2011 - No Comments »


In answer to an outcry among green consumers for better labeling standards on cleaning products, Whole Foods is launching its own product rating system for cleaning products. Called the Eco-Scale, the rating system consists of three colours; orange, yellow, and green.

Orange
No phosphates, chlorine or fake colours.

Yellow
100% natural fragrances and minimal safety concerns.

Green
100% natural, non-petroleum ingredients.

Any product that does not meet acceptable levels for the Eco-Scale will not be carried at Whole Foods market past April 2012, when the system will be fully rolled out in all stores.

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Organic products selling despite pinch of recession

by Angela March 19th, 2011 - No Comments »

In the US last year, overall grocery stores were only up 1.8%, a pretty flat figure considering the recession. Sales of organic products, by contrast, were up 4.4%. The increase is attributed to the wider availability of organics through large box stores like Wal-Mart and high-profile organic stores such as Whole Foods.

Consumers are buying more organic products even though they cost more, which is a huge deal in the middle of a recession. The availability from more trusted manufacturers like Clorox, who credit their Burt’s Bees line with helping their overall profitability, helps as well.

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Whole Foods Market Sponsors Travelling Eco Film Fest

by Angela March 15th, 2011 - No Comments »

Whole Foods Market, the leading retailer of natural and organic foods, announced its “Whole Foods Market Do Something Reel” Film Festival. The festival will launch April 1, 2011, and travel to 70 cities across the U.S. in celebration of Earth Month. The film festival consists of six environmentally-focused films.

“Through our Whole Foods Market Do Something Reel Film Festival we want to raise awareness of environmental and food issues, and support filmmakers who are creating films that inspire people to question the impact our choices have on our health, body and environment,” said Walter Robb, co-CEO of Whole Foods Market. “We see film as an inspirational medium that can spark an active dialogue and encourage people to take action locally.”

In addition, Whole Foods is launching green film grants. Some of the ticket proceeds from the festival will be donated these grants which will encourage more films in the genre to be made.

The six films chosen are:

Bag It!
Suzan Beraza follows an everyday American  as he takes us on a guided tour of all the plastic we use.

Lunch Line
Mike Graziano and Ernie Park follow six kids from Chicago who want to change school lunches from their school to the White House.

On Coal River
Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Woods take a hard look at coal mining and strip mining.

PLANEAT
Shelley Lee Davis and Or Shlomi tells the story of why we are so in love with meat and dairy.

Urban Roots
Mark MacInnis shows us how a group of concerned Detroit residents try to get access to locally grown and organic food.

Vanishing of the Bees
Narrated by Ellen Page, George Langworthy and Maryam Heinen chronicle and try to solve the mystery of vanishing bees.

For more about the festival check out www.dosomethingreel.com.

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Whole Foods Making Healthy Its New Draw for Shoppers

by Angela January 11th, 2011 - No Comments »

Not content with serving organic and natural products from around the world, Whole Foods is making a serious effort to make its offerings healthier. Let’s face it, one of the guilty pleasures of Whole Foods was making off with some very nasty (health-wise) baked and prepared goods. No longer – Whole Foods is cleaning up its prepared foods counters and offering healthier fare. They’ll also be posting nutritional scorecards so consumers can make informed, healthy choices about what foods to buy. They’re even employing a healthy eating specialist at each store to offer tips and give tours.

Why are they doing all this? “We’ve got a serious problems in the health of America, and I feel like Whole Foods has a big part in the answer,” Whole Foods founder John Mackey said. Also, they likely want to sell more product, and know that health is just as big a buzzword as organic. Either way, it will be interesting to see the changes roll out.

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Whole Foods Gives Personal Care Brands One Year to Shape Up or Clear Out

by Angela June 17th, 2010 - 2 Comments »

In a response to a call from customers asking for more pure organic products, Whole Foods has given personal care brands that it is currently selling that have been called into question for being made up of petrochemicals rather than organic ingredients one year to shape up or clear out. Targeted brands include Giovanni, Nature’s Gate, and Avalon Organics.

Whole Foods is requiring that brands be certified either under the USDA Organic label or the NSF ANSI 305 standard in order to remain on its store shelves. Companies have until August 10 of 2010 to tell Whole Foods how they will be addressing the request, and those that don’t will be dropped from Whole Foods before the end of the year. Those that do choose to play ball have until June 1, 2011 to comply with the Whole Foods policy.

The move gives the brands that do want to remain with Whole Foods adequate time to pursue certification, and will allow no grace period for those that do not. The Organic Consumers Association, a longtime advocate for consumers in the organic product category, loudly applauded the move.

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Has Whole Foods Gone Evil?

by Angela May 11th, 2009 - No Comments »

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Long ago, the decision of whether or not to shop at Whole Foods was made for me.  I tried doing a weekly grocery buy that I would do anywhere else at Whole Foods.  $350.00 later, I decided that it wasn’t a very economical idea, particularly since my regular grocery store is a trusty source of the organic foodstuffs.  I still harboured a secret wish to shop there if I ever won the lottery due to the high quality of the food I did manage to purchase there.

That was until I read this article on AlterNet.  Since my other half is a member of a union and a very ardent union activist, I have to say that my decision to no longer shop there is no longer soley based on the cost of their products.  How sad that a former model of corporate responsiblity is now nothing more than a union buster that sells expensive organic food.  Give it a read and make your own decisions.

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