Stop the insanity! I help with customer inquiries here at Whole Foods Market and we’ve been hearing some wild, off-base stories from folks around the country lately. For brevity’s sake, I’m going to list them here in hopes of dispelling these rumors.

Rumor No. 1: Whole Foods Market has been bought by Monsanto.

No! What crazy talk! We’ve never had any affiliation with that company. We are publicly traded; our majority shareholders are listed in documents filed with the SEC and, I promise, Monsanto is not on the list and never has been.

Rumor No. 2: Whole Foods Market made a secret deal with Monsanto to support the deregulation of GMO crops like alfalfa.

Again, no way! This ridiculous rumor started over a year ago in January 2011 because of the Organic Consumer Association’s (OCA) misleading article titled “Whole Foods Caves to Monsanto.” You see, Whole Foods Market and others in the organic food industry met with the US Secretary of Agriculture in support of farmers’ rights to grow Non-GMO crops.  Because we did not take the exact hard-line stance that the OCA did, they accused us of “being in bed with Monsanto,” and the rumor developed from there. Whole Foods Market has no ties to Monsanto and did not have any interaction with the company concerning this or any other issue. For a good description of what really happened, here’s a solid Washington Post story. You can also read our blog response from last year.

Rumor No. 3: Whole Foods Market recently decided to start selling food with GMOs.

Wrong again! As long as GMO crops have been in this country, GMOs have been in the US food supply. The most effective action we can take now is to label the food that DOESN’T include GMOs. That’s why we’ve enrolled our 365 Everyday Value and 365 Organic product line in the Non-GMO Project Verification Program, and have encouraged our branded vendors to do the same – and many, many have. If you want to avoid GMOs, here’s what to look for in our stores:

• Organic products, since USDA organic standards prohibit the use of GMO ingredients.
• Our 365 Everyday Value and 365 Organic store brand food products are sourced to avoid GMO ingredients and many have been verified under the Non-GMO Project verification program. You can find a list of verified products on each of our store web pages.
• Products labeled with the Non-GMO Project Verified label. For a shopping list of Non-GMO Project Verified products carried by your local store, check your store’s webpage or review brands and products on the Non-GMO project website.

Thanks for reading and now back to your regularly scheduled shopping.

My challenge-to-self for 2012: Reduce my household food waste to less than 5%. I spent the week after Christmas clearing out closets, the pantry and the refrigerator — following my own advice. The biggest reveal was when I discovered that my largest kitchen appliance had turned into a scary hybrid compost bin/messy biological laboratory.

Life got away from me for about six weeks during the most food-focused time of year. The CSA produce bags kept coming while I ate at home less due to holiday parties, travel and deadlines. When I finally took the time to assess the damage, only half of the food in the fridge was still edible. My compost bin brimmed, while a back-of-the-napkin tally showed that I tossed nearly 25% of December’s food budget. Ouch.

In the United States, food waste is estimated at 40% and more. While a lot of that food loss occurs pre-consumer, a significant amount occurs once food arrives in households. A 2002 study of American households indicates that families discarded 14% of their food, to the tune of 470 pounds and an annual cost of $600 per year. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s a great reason to throw a party. On October 24th, chefs, food banks, schools, farmers’ markets and food-lovers across America will observe Food Day, a national day of awareness-raising and fund-raising to promote healthy eating and affordable, accessible food. We encourage and challenge YOU to take the lead and host a fundraising party for your local food bank or a food-related charity that you believe in. We’ve partnered with the Food Day initiative and Epicurious to make it easy, rewarding and fun to host a Food Day event.

Food Day is centered on 6 basic principles:

1. Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods
2. Support sustainable farms & limit subsidies to big agribusiness
3. Expand access to food and alleviate hunger
4. Protect the environment and animals by reforming factory farms
5. Promote health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids
6. Support fair conditions for food and farm workers

Read the rest of this entry »

Courtney Mudge is the Organic Certification Manager for Whole Foods Market. She’s a 5th generation Texan who grew up on a ranch in the Hill Country. When she’s not coaching our stores on organic integrity, she’s being crafty and searching for the perfect taco.

When you hear the word “organic” what do you think of? If you’re at all familiar with organic farming, then you probably know that a certified organic apple has to be grown according to certain standards – such as no toxic or persistent pesticides. Makes sense. You might also know that certified organic beef comes from cows that eat certified organic feed and steer clear (no pun intended) of antibiotics and added growth hormones. All that makes sense too. So, when someone says “organic,” bucolic images of farms, orchards and pastures probably come to mind. Bustling urban grocery stores? Not so much.

Well, like those apples and that beef, Whole Foods Market stores are certified organic. “Wait, what?” – you may ask – “A grocery store can be certified organic?” Yes, it can and we are. Though, I admit it’s a little confusing, especially since not ALL the products in our stores are organic. Basically, our certification means that we ensure the organic integrity of the organic products we sell from the time they reach our stores until they are safely tucked into your shopping cart.

It’s similar to the organic certification for food processing plants. Hadn’t thought of that either? Well, that box of organic crackers you just bought is full of organic ingredients (insert bucolic images here) but what else makes those crackers organic? A lot, actually.

Read the rest of this entry »

We’re midway through Organic Harvest Month, and the Whole Story editors asked me for a few of my personal favorite reasons to buy organic food and support organic agriculture. I work nearly constantly on organic standards, certification and advocacy, and the many, many reasons for growing food as naturally as possible are very close to my heart.

There are almost as many reasons to choose organic food as there are people who choose it, spanning from environmental benefits to avoiding pesticide residues to amazing flavor to certain nutritional advantages.  In the interest of space I’ll focus on a few of the most important benefits, and exactly what we know “organic” means in the grocery store.

Since 2002, the USDA’s National Organic Standards have served as the Federal regulation that governs what foods can be sold as organic. This standard is managed by the National Organic Program, which is advised by National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), a 15-member board made up of organic stakeholders including farmers, ranchers, researchers, environmentalists and retailers. I serve as the retail representative on that board through 2015.

Read the rest of this entry »

This September, we’re celebrating National Organic Harvest Month in our stores across the US and that means we’re celebrating the organic farmers we partner with. Organic farmers not only encourage biodiversity, they depend on it — both above and below the ground. Experienced organic farmers have learned over many decades that combining multiple crops with livestock and other animals is the best way to promote soil health and fully utilize the rainfall and sunlight that falls on an acre in any given year.

Any organic farmer worth their salt will tell you that healthy soil is the bedrock of all successful organic farms. Hundreds of studies conducted on multiple continents over the last 50 years have compared soil quality on organic farms to soil quality on nearby conventional farms. Virtually every one has concluded that organic management substantially enhances soil quality. So join us in supporting organic farmers across the US this September – and buy organic!

Do you have a favorite organic farm in your neck of the woods? Give them a shout-out in the comments section below! We’d love to hear about them.

Read the rest of this entry »

This September, we’re celebrating National Organic Harvest Month in our stores across the US. We’ve always been in love with organics, and we hope you’ll fall in love with them too…if you haven’t already. Here are the Top 10 Reasons to Go Organic – courtesy of our friends at the Organic Trade Association. Join us in supporting organic farmers across the US this September – and buy organic!

1. Organic products meet stringent standards
Organic certification is the public’s assurance that products have been grown and handled according to strict procedures without persistent toxic chemical inputs.

2. Organic food tastes great!
It’s common sense – well-balanced soils produce strong, healthy plants that become nourishing food for people and animals.

3. Organic production reduces health risks
Many EPA-approved pesticides were registered long before extensive research linked these chemicals to cancer and other diseases. Organic agriculture is one way to prevent any more of these chemicals from getting into the air, earth and water that sustain us.
Read the rest of this entry »

Seems like kids are just as picky about eating as they were a couple of years ago when we first ran this blog. Enjoy this encore presentation!

We all know kids are picky eaters, right? Let’s teach them a new way to be picky. Pick whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies along with healthy proteins. Impossible? Not if you give them choices and very tasty food.

A good place to start is by talking to your kids. Anytime is good but natural launching pad activities are when you are grocery shopping or cooking dinner. Get their brains thinking about what food does for us – how it helps us grow, keeps us healthy, gives us energy for sports, helps our brains learn and keeps us feeling good. Those topics easily transition into why it’s important to eat healthy foods and not stuff that gunks up our bodies. Read the rest of this entry »

Nowadays many people are concerned about where their food comes from, how it’s been raised and what it’s been fed. But sometimes, walking into the grocery store can feel overwhelming with all the different food labels on display.  If you’re tempted to buy organic chicken, but you’re not sure what it means, read on!

In order to be certified organic, chicken farms must follow a strict set of guidelines and be inspected annually by a third-party certification body to ensure those standards are met. These standards include:

• The birds must be raised organically no later than two days after they hatch;
• They must be fed certified organic feed for their entire lives. Organic feed cannot contain animal by-products, antibiotics or genetically engineered grains and cannot be grown using persistent pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
• It is prohibited to give drugs, antibiotics and hormones to organic birds (please note: federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones in raising poultry).
• All birds must have outdoor access.

Plus, organic chicken sold at Whole Foods Market has also been certified to the Global Animal Partnership’s 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating program!

If that’s not enough to tempt you, our organic chicken will be featured from August 12th to the 14th. So, next time you are in your local store, why don’t you try our flavorful organic chicken and tell us what you think!

With all the excitement about our Step-rated beef, pork and chicken in the meat case, I thought it would be good to talk about Global Animal Partnership, the organization behind the 5-Step Animal Welfare Standards Rating Program.

Although Global Animal Partnership is considered a relatively young non-profit organization (founded in 2008), it is now one of the leading farm animal welfare programs in North America, with almost 1500 farms already audited and certified by independent, third-party companies. Miyun Park, GAP’s Executive Director, explains, “I’m excited that despite still being in our early years, we’ve been able to positively impact the lives of 140 million animals with our 5-Step standards and engage with such a wide variety of producers concerned about improving the welfare of the animals they raise!”

Read the rest of this entry »