Comments on: “Natural” Means…What?

By: Mercedes Vaughn

Mercedes Vaughn — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:21:24 +0000

@Amber, here’s a list of banned ingredients:
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/unacceptable-ingredients.php
Thanks!

By: Amber

Amber — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:28:41 +0000

Is there a place where I can view the list of banned and acceptable ingredients?

By: Winnie Hsia

Winnie Hsia — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:48:24 +0000

@Beth A valid point – not everything that is “natural” is necessarily good for the human body. We hold our manufacturers to not only our Quality Standards, but also health and safety standards and do our best to enhance, not endanger our customers’ quality of life.

By: Beth

Beth — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:36:49 +0000

Other things that are natural — e. coli, salmonella, listeria. They’re all naturally-occurring. Do you inspect the farms that your food comes from to keep these things from contaminating my reusable grocery bag?

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:19:22 +0000

Regarding the Premium Body Care products, I am interested in them, but they are too hard to find at the store. At my local store in Silver Spring, MD, when I went to look for some a few months ago, they were mixed up with all the other “non-premium” products. Even though it says you’ve approved 2500 products, where are they at the store, and why can’t I find them easily? Why don’t they have their own shelf? While trying to find some of those fabled “premium” products, I spotted many other products that weren’t much better than what you’d see at a conventional pharmacy. I think it is very misleading to have these products next to other products that aren’t as safe, and it undermines your “organic and natural” image as well.

Regarding natural foods, thank you for your post Joe. This is helpful to know. I’d like to learn more about where meat at Whole Foods comes from and how it is raised. I’d like to see more labeling at the stores about grass-fed and/or free-range animal products. Right now, it’s just not clear enough.

By: Winnie Hsia

Winnie Hsia — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:30:45 +0000

Hi Ellen,

Yes, our review also includes body care items, and in fact, we have recently launched a top tier body care standard for our stores: Whole Body Premium calls attention to the cleanest and most exceptional body care products sold at Whole Foods Market and makes it easier for customers to identify and chose the highest quality natural body care products we sell. Through this process, we spent the last 3 years evaluating every body care ingredient on our shelves for safety, efficacy, source and environmental impact. Please note that the following ingredients are not allowed in Premium Body Care: parabens or formaldehyde donors, sodium laureth sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate, polyethylene glycol or polypropylene glycol, chelators (EDTA), MEA, DEA, TEA-containing ingredients, cyclotetrasiloxane or cyclopentasiloxane, carbomer or polyacrylates, synthetic fragrances, synthetic colors or chemical sunscreens. Whole Foods Market’s quality standards for personal care already differentiate us – each product found in Whole Body is carefully evaluated and never tested on animals. The new Premium Body Care standard goes beyond this and we are hoping that our Premium standard will eventually become the baseline standard for our Whole Body departments down the line. At present, we have approved over 2500 Premium Body Care products. It’s all very exciting! To find out more, please see: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/premium-body-care.php.

Thanks and hope that anwers your questions!

By: Ellen

Ellen — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:24:21 +0000

What about products found in your Whole Body aisle? Does your review cover the ingredients in all of those products as well? I have read labels on several brands and found ingredients that are less than “natural” as per your definition. Please clarify your review process of these products, as they are entering your body as well (just not via your mouth!) THANKS.
p.s. I am a very dedicated customer of Whole Foods for about 8 years now! I LOVE the store! The quality of the food is tops, the prices of the 365 brand products in particular are very reasonable, and the staff is the best!

By: Ted Starling

Ted Starling — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 23:22:20 +0000

One of the reasons I became an employee of Whole Foods Market was the fact the company was willing to set standards whether its defining acceptable ingredients, the way farm animals are treated or that we try to source products from companies that pay fair wages. Having worked here 10 years I’ve watched Whole Foods evolve its definition of “natural”, refining our standards as we learn more and working with our suppliers and growers so they evolve and learn with us. And the best part is it’s all there for anyone to read and understand.

Its this commitment to the whole process from farmers to manufacturers and ultimately to our customers that separates Whole Foods Market from many other companies.

By: Laura

Laura — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 21:39:53 +0000

I wish that Whole Foods was in my area. I firmly believe that natural organic foods is important for my families health. My local stores are getting a wider selection. I just wish that I just could walk into a store and know that no matter what I purchased it would be within my standards for my family.

By: Ray Sola

Ray Sola — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 07:02:47 +0000

When someone tries to convince me something must be healthy because it is “all natural” and I know the product is really bad for you, my reply is that these are all natural too: snake venom, mushrooms (most are poisonous), etc …

And some things in the wrong amounts can kill you too. Like shark. Tastes great, but don’t eat too much at one sitting.

Natural does not really mean anything, nor is it helpful in deciding if you should put something in your body.