Comments on: Is Organic from China Possible?

By: frank albergo

frank albergo — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:48:12 +0000

i am sorry. when i saw the abc piece i was shocked!!!! outraged!!! even if it says organic and it is from china it is not to be trusted. you guys really blew it. this was not a smart business decision and you have violated a trust. i will think twice before stepping into a whole foods again.

frank

By: Jane Fraga

Jane Fraga — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:22:23 +0000

I resonate with many of the posts that express concern about consuming anything from China for 2 reasons: 1) I sat on a bus with a college student from China who said his own home town has been so polluted the people can barely drink the water or plant a garden. The air, water, soil concerns in China trump any certification about farming practices. We are unable to get edamame from the US because?? 2) We shoot ourselves in the foot by insisting on natural & organic farming practices, while supporting the use of petroleum to transport products across continents that we can access from a closer location. This is insanity.

By: Jim Breneman

Jim Breneman — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:41:22 +0000

I have read your response to the WJLA 2008 report and was happy to see that you no longer use “organic” foods from China in your frozen offerings. Being very familiar with certification and accreditation and having traveled to China I can offer the following opinion. The fact that some (most often in-country) “inspector” or Quality Assurance person(s) have passed a process as being (in your case) “organic” is farcical at best. In addition to the recent problems with food safety in China I have been witness to local inspectors “passing” processes and later finding that they did not even look at them. My hat is off to you for responding to your customers in the US.. and I will continue to buy at Whole Foods and (of course) look at the country of origin for ALL my food.

By: Super Girls

Super Girls — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 23:01:48 +0000

your site is very interesting, i have read a few of the articles on your website now….. and i add this site to my bookmarks….

By: Mark W., Sonoma County, CA

Mark W., Sonoma County, CA — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 21:08:32 +0000

I would not buy the food if I new it was from China. This news is way too late for me.

By: Jane Johnson

Jane Johnson — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:53:11 +0000

@Kay Please see the most up to date information regarding our sourcing. The only organic item we now source from China are the 365 Edamame. The newest information can be found in the team member responses from earlier posts. Thank you.

By: Kay Hamme

Kay Hamme — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:36:22 +0000

I don’t care what you say, food products from China do not belong in Whole Foods. I will never buy them. I am very disappointed and believe that by selling these products you are damaging your brand.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:44:34 +0000

Wow, I’m another one that is late to this party as I just received the video link via an email. What saddens me most is that two of the WF’s core values I had come to understand was local farm support and sustainability. How can we support our local farms — whether in our county or country — when WF is sourcing food from not just another country, but one from the opposite side of the globe? Specialty products for shoppers who desire ingredients for cultural recipes makes complete sense…but how can WF justify other more common products that are grown locally, and even on the same continent? The cost of fuel used to transport produce from China is especially shameful when we all know high-quality produce is available at a fraction the fuel cost. While I truly appreciate the business perspective (I am a capitalist), I do not condone business profits over values, especially when that is NOT the message advertised throughout the store. I’m one of the lucky ones, living in a state where other organic options are more available than in other locals. I already pay a premium for (what I thought was) organically grown food for my family. I guess more of my large monthly food budget will be going to farmers markets and New Seasons.
Honestly, even though this news is 18+ months old, my opinion of and trust in WF is shaken. I feel like someone bumped the mask and I peeked Wal-Mart behind the Whole Foods logo.

By: Jane Johnson

Jane Johnson — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:37:02 +0000

@Bonnie This was a media push from some time ago. Since this is an issue that many were concerned with, for the best way to get acquainted with the situation and the current information, I recommend you read the blog post and all the response comments from Team Members on the blog. There is a lot of great information shared there. Thanks for reaching out and your willingness to work with us to stop the spread of misinformation.

By: BONNIE

BONNIE — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:44:39 +0000

I just got the link below, but don’t know if it’s for real, or from quite a long time ago. I asked about it in my local store yesterday and no one knew about it or had any interest in speaking to me about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=JQ31Ljd9T_Y

thanks for your help w/understanding this.