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.

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.

Beyond the impact to family budgets, this food waste has startling implications for our national energy policy. An energy study from 2010 claims that the energy embodied in wasted food exceeds that available from most popular “efficiency” programs, such as the annual production of ethanol from (mostly) corn and the annual output from drilling in the outer continental shelf. An estimated 300 million barrels of oil per year, or four percent of the oil consumed in the US was used to produce and transport food that was ultimately thrown away. Yikes!

With help from some smart, passionate folks here at Whole Foods Market, I came up with the following list. Here’s how I plan to respect food, money and the resources that go into growing the crops and getting them to me in 2012.

I will:

• Plan meals for the week. I can check my calendar on Sunday to determine when I’ll eat at home, spend five minutes assessing what’s already in the fridge and pantry, check online for recipe ideas and make use of the shopping list functionality on this website.
• Shop at home first. I receive veggies from my CSA farmer for about 40 weeks out of the year. I also grow fruit, veggies and herbs at home. My healthy pantry is well-stocked. I will use these things first.
• Shop like a European. Many people in Europe visit the market every few days and purchase small quantities of very fresh food — just enough for the next few days.
• Be less picky about produce. If fruits are going into smoothies, if veggies are going into soups and casseroles, why do they need to be cosmetically perfect?
• Belly up to the bulk bins. Choosing only the amount I need makes more sense than storing half-filled boxes of pasta or rice — or throwing out two extra cups of cooked quinoa past its prime.
• Store stuff better. I’m slowly investing in better storage containers — glass where possible — for pantry, pet food and refrigerated items. I’ve also been researching how to store produce properly.
• Smarten up when eating out. I might spend more per serving on a half-size portion but it costs me even more to toss out what I bring home in a container.
• Eat and enjoy my leftovers. ‘nuff said.
• Save the gnarly bits for stock. If you cook with a lot of fresh produce like me, the carrot tops, chard spines and celery stubs can be saved in a designated container for the Sunday soup stock pot.
• Make a pig, chicken or backyard bird happy. The neighborhood pot-bellied pig or chickens at a nearby farm will love leafy greens and squashes past their prime. The birds will love soft apples and past-prime berries.
• Drop off garden extras at the food bank. When my prolific peach tree starts bearing this spring I’ll share the bounty instead of stuffing the freezer.
• Keep a food diary. In addition to the health-focused notes, I’ll include preparation/cooking and food waste disposition entries. I’ll need to track my progress to see if I succeed!

What tips do you have to ensure that the good stuff ends up in your belly and not in the compost bin?

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

Sponsored by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the nonprofit watchdog group that has led successful fights for food labeling, better nutrition and safer food since 1971, Food Day is people-powered and does not accept funding from government or corporations — though restaurants, supermarkets and others are encouraged to observe Food Day in their own ways. But the most important ingredient in Food Day is you — and we invite you to organize an event and help make Food Day a success.

Check out these region-specific seasonal menus, choose a charitable cause to support (here’s a food bank locator) and send out your invites! We partnered with Epicurious to provide this free, downloadable Food Day Dinner Party Kit, which contains great ideas for planning any party big or small, plus conversation starters, recipes and even pumpkin-carving stencils.

Also, Epicurious is hosting a Facebook contest where you can submit a photo and description of your Food Day event for a chance to win a matching donation (up to $1000) for the food-related charity of your choice.

Aren’t quite up to hosting your own event? Visit Food Day to find out about events happening across the country and find one close to you.

Which of the six Food Day principles means the most to you? What will you be doing on October 24^th, the first annual Food Day?

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.

Certifiers accredited by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) evaluate the plans and production systems at facilities that process organic foods.; Even though they are assessing different details than they are at an organic farm, the certifiers are still looking for the same basic compliance points:

• Organic integrity of sources (verifying that organic ingredients are indeed organic)
• Truth in labeling (making sure the food being produced is labeled accurately)
• Prevention of contamination of any kind
• Prevention of co-mingling (ensuring that non-organic ingredients don’t mix with organic ingredients)
• Verification that cleaning and pest control procedures do not leave residues or compromise organic integrity

That’s a lot! Those five points summarize pages and pages of detailed federal regulation. Every organic product you buy is required by law to meet those standards at both the farm and the processing facility. But what happens when that organic product leaves the farm or processing facility and gets to the store?

Since the USDA National Organic Program does not require an organic certification for retailers who sell organic products, many conventional stores handle organic products just like all the other products on their shelves. Whatever cleaning chemicals or pest control methods their local health department allows, they can use. Many retailers who do choose to be certified organic often only sell organics that are packaged or pre-packed to avoid some of the more difficult processes necessary to remain certified.

However, Whole Foods Market takes its organic certification and its commitment to organic integrity seriously and doesn’t shy away from the hard work. In 2002 when the National Organic Standards were enacted, Whole Foods Market leadership took Core Value #1 — selling the highest quality natural and organic products available — to heart and decided that every one of our stores would meet the same requirements as organic processing facilities and in 2003 Whole Foods Market became the first national certified organic retailer. While that may sound like a simple statement, it is a huge commitment. Each year our certifier, CCOF, audits every one of our stores to the same rigorous standards as certified organic processing facilities. So, what exactly do these inspectors do in our stores? They are looking at our practices that involve unpackaged organic products. Obviously, you don’t need to do much to make sure a box of organic cereal stays organic. But we do have a lot to do when it comes to produce, bulk, meat, bakeries, cheese and even some salad bars. Here are just a few examples:

• Throughout the stores, we go to great lengths to ensure that organic and conventional products never touch; there’s no “co-mingling” here.
• When sanitizing a surface that touches food – knives, cutting boards, displays, bins – we’re required to completely remove any sanitizer residue, and our team members keep written logs showing that they’ve removed cleaner and sanitizer from food contact surfaces.
• Whether it’s from a small local grower or a larger farm in another state, our organic produce has to come from certified organic growers. CCOF makes sure we have current certification documentation for any unpackaged products we’re handling and selling.
• Every team member who handles organic food needs to understand what the standard requires, so we’ve designed training programs to help. (These include a sing-along video about sanitation practices, and a video game called “The Organic Avengers,” with villains named “The Contaminator” and “The Commingler.” I am not joking; just ask any team member!) The certifier verifies that our teams are well-trained and have the knowledge they need to uphold the standard.

It’s a lot of work, but we want to do it! Organic integrity is paramount here.

Although our stores in Canada and the UK do not fall under the USDA National Organic Program, they are also certified organic and meet the specific guidelines for each of those countries.

Do you find it easy to locate “Certified Organic” products at your local Whole Foods Market? Share your experience in the comments below!

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.

The USDA has strict requirements for all food sold as “organic” in the United States:

• Organic agriculture uses no potentially harmful persistent pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. A “National List” of allowed and prohibited substances, set by the NOSB, regulates substances used for crops, livestock and food processing.
• Growers and ranchers use earth-friendly methods that improve biodiversity and minimize environmental impact.
• Animals are allowed to fulfill their natural behaviors, are fed organically-grown feed, given fresh air and outdoor access, and no antibiotics or growth hormones.
• Organic products must be certified and contain at least 95% organic ingredients. Any ingredients used in the non-organic 5% must be from a short list of additives approved by the NOSB.
• No irradiation, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or synthetic preservatives are allowed in organic processed products.
• All organic producers must be certified by a USDA-accredited certifying agent. There are about 100 accredited certifiers, such as CCOF, QAI and Oregon Tilth.

The clear definition of organic set forth in these standards has built confidence in the organic label and helped substantially grow the number of acres of land farmed organically over the past ten years. And the new Canadian Organic Regulation and the European Union (EU) Organic Regulation contain very similar requirements.

Over the past few decades organic has grown from a small movement to a significant agricultural force in the US, with organic food now representing around 4% of US food sales. With that growth has come an increase in the amount of academic and governmental research on the environmental, nutritional and other benefits of organic. Here’s a short synopsis of what we know:

Organic Food has fewer synthetic pesticide residues. In the US, 1.1 billion pounds of synthetic pesticides are applied to conventional crops each year. These substances, by law, cannot be applied to organic crops. The growth of organic food over the past decade is a testament to the fact that, for a variety of reasons, a growing number of food buyers are looking to avoid conventional agricultural chemicals, and the USDA Organic Standards (along with the Canadian Organic Regulation, the EU Organic Standards, and many others worldwide) provide a clearly defined and labeled alternative to conventionally grown food.

Organic farming is better for the environment. Aside from not using persistent pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, organic farmers do a whole lot more to benefit the environment. The basic principles of organic agriculture – and the USDA Organic Standards – require growers to look at the soil as a living organism, and nurture the microorganisms, nutrients and minerals in the soils in environmentally beneficial ways. Where conventional farmers often rely on massive doses of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer to feed crops, organic farmers tend to nourish their crops by truly cultivating the living system of the soil. Through the use of compost, manure, and cover crops (crops like legumes and clover that are grown and plowed under), the organic farmer builds up natural sources of nitrogen in the soil.  These practices result in stable, living soil systems that are naturally more resistant to erosion and avoids the harmful runoff of nitrogen fertilizers and persistent pesticides.

A growing body of evidence suggests organic food is more nutritious. A growing body of research is beginning to support the idea that in many cases, organic food presents nutritional advantages over conventionally grown foods. The team at The Organic Center has worked for many years to track, interpret and communicate this research on the advantages of organic, and you can find a number of very good summaries on their website. For example, the Organic Center conducted a 2008 meta-analysis (a review of hundreds of other studies) – to look at the differences between organic and conventional that had been discovered so far. From the hundreds of studies, they identified 236 scientifically valid “matched pairs” of organic and conventional foods, and found the organic foods were nutritionally superior in 67% of the cases, vs. 37% for conventional. In general, the organic samples contained higher levels of antioxidants and polyphenols (in nearly 75% of the pairs for which those substances were measured). Over the whole set of pairs, the nutritional premium of organic averaged 25%. Keep in mind that the several hundred studies used here are a tiny fraction of the tens of thousands done on conventional food, and recent research has been even more compelling.

This small body of research will continue to grow as consumer, government and academic interest in organic agriculture increases. I’m very optimistic that science will support what so many of us already suspect: that plants grown slowly and naturally in healthy, rich soil will produce healthy, nutrient-rich vegetables.

For more information:

• The Organic Center
• The Rodale Institute
• Organic Farming Research Foundation

What are some of your reasons for supporting organic agriculture?

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.

Watch these videos to meet some of the organic suppliers we partner with:

Coyote Creek
Coyote Creek Farm in Elgin, Texas has been producing great-tasting eggs from pastured chickens for over a decade. The Coyote Creek Organic Feed Mill is the only organic feed mill in the state of Texas.

Crystal Organics
As one of the pioneers of organic farming in Georgia, Nicolas Donck grows a diverse selection of certified organic vegetables and herbs year-round on his family’s land east of Atlanta.

Harmony Valley Farms
Since 1984, Harmony Valley Farms has been growing just about every organic vegetable that will grow in the state of Wisconsin.

Tuscarora Organic Growers
This democratically operated cooperative of more than 40 farms was founded in 1988. Growers are held to strict standards, spelled out in an 18-page set of guidelines covering harvest, grading, packing, storage and food safety. All of the partner farms are certified organic.

Watsonia Farms
Growing organic peaches in South Carolina, Jerry and Joe Watson are pioneers in organic peach farming on the East Coast.

Ready for more? Check out the top 10 reasons to go organic.

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.

4. Organic farms respect our water resources
The elimination of polluting chemicals and nitrogen leaching, done in combination with soil building, protects and conserves water resources.

5. Organic farmers build healthy soil
Soil is the foundation of the food chain. The primary focus of organic farming is to use practices that build healthy soils.

6. Organic farmers work in harmony with nature
Organic agricultural respects the balance demanded of a healthy ecosystem: wildlife is encouraged by including forage crops in rotation and by retaining fencerows, wetlands, and other natural areas.

7. Organic producers are leaders in innovative research
Organic farmers have led the way, largely at their own expense, with innovative on-farm research aimed at reducing pesticide use and minimizing agriculture’s impact on the environment.

8. Organic producers strive to preserve diversity
The loss of a large variety of species (biodiversity) is one of the most pressing environmental concerns. The good news is that many organic farmers and gardeners have been collecting and preserving seeds, and growing unusual varieties for decades.

9. Organic farming helps keep rural communities healthy
Organic agriculture can be a lifeline for small farms because it offers an alternative market where sellers can command fair prices for crops.

10. Organic abundance – Foods and non-foods alike!
Now every food category has an organic alternative. And non-food agricultural products are being grown organically – even cotton, which most experts felt could not be grown this way.

If you’re shopping for organics, you won’t find a bigger selection than at Whole Foods Market. We stock our aisles with a wide selection of the highest quality organic (and conventional) items. The variety of organic products you’ll find in our stores span your grocery list, from produce to meat and poultry to pantry basics, artisan cheese and dairy staples and a few sweet indulgences. If you haven’t already, give our 365 Everyday Value® organic products a try. They embody our strict Quality Standards, and they’re priced competitively – usually the lowest price in their category.

Tell us, do you shop for organics or conventional items, or, a mix of both?

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.

Even very young children can understand the basics. That’s why they are bombarded with commercial messaging -marketers know it works! Get your message in their ears whenever you have a chance. Of course, if you make it fun, that’s all the better. Here are some ideas.

Get Real

Support your kids in choosing foods that look like…well…real food. Show your kids what carrots, bananas, beans and lettuce look like before they’re harvested. Visit a local farm if you can. Help them see that fresh apples don’t turn into fluorescent blue applesauce and strawberries don’t turn into bright pink fruit chews without the help of a chemistry set. Challenge them to eat foods that haven’t changed very much from growing in the field to being served on their plate. You can award stickers for every “real” food eaten. When they’ve earned 25 stickers, you could reward them with a special prize.

Eat a Rainbow

Encourage your kids to eat a rainbow of colors every day. (Natural ones, that is!) When shopping, ask them to help you pick out an assortment of colorful fruits and veggies. When you get home, keep them accessible! Pre-wash fruit and keep carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, celery sticks and sliced bell peppers on hand for a quick, healthy snack. Make a chart and a game out of seeing how many days get filled up with all the colors in the rainbow.

Hand Over the Reins

Yes, sometimes kids balk at veggies and think the color green is reserved for frogs, trees and crayons. Giving them a say in the matter seems to help. Would you like to have broccoli or peas with dinner? Do you want your salad with lunch or dinner? Do you prefer cooked carrots or raw carrots? Note that the option is which veggie, not an option for no veggies. Offering favorite dressings and sauces to perk up a new food often helps too. Once a week, hand control over to the kids and let them create a menu for a family dinner. Ground rules: it must include a range of whole foods and kids get to help cook it (even if it does make a mess of the kitchen!).

On Duty

Enlist your kids’ help in making sure the whole family is on the right track. For example, show your kids wheat growing in a field and explain how whole wheat berries are ground into flour to make yummy stuff like crackers and pasta. But with refined grains, the bran and germ are stripped away. Hey! Those are the most important parts for helping our bodies be healthy and strong. What a rip off! (Indignation seems to work especially well with grade schoolers who are forever looking to make sure they are being treated fairly on the playground!) Give your kids “duty patrol” where they can check up on menu plans, shopping lists and, if they are really into this whole patrol thing, ingredient panels on packaged foods.

Truth? In our culture, all of this is hard. Many of the other kids at school are going to have food in their lunches that look and taste different. And with the way our food system is set up, the odds are stacked against parents. We have to keep working on educating our kids over and over and over again. We have to be willing to be the “mean parent” who doesn’t serve what everyone else’s parent does. But helping our kids navigate the minefields of our food supply is just as important as any of our other parental duties…and just as challenging and rewarding. We win some food battles and we lose some – I know I do. What battles are you winning and how?

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!

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!”

With several different animal welfare labels in grocery stores, you might wonder what sets Global Animal Partnership and their 5-Step program apart from the rest. Miyun describes, “One of our core missions is to promote and facilitate continuous improvement in animal agriculture. What is unique about our program is not only our multi-stakeholder leadership, but our multi-tiered system. We’ve brought together experts from around the world and from many different sectors, including farmers and ranchers, retailers, animal welfare academics, and leaders from four of the largest animal advocacy organizations, to find common ground and work together to improve the welfare of farm animals. Additionally, our signature initiative, the 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating Standards program, is groundbreaking in that it is multi-tiered, encouraging ever higher welfare by its very structure. The 5-Step program helps producers communicate how they care for their animals, engages a broad spectrum of farm animal production systems, provides consumers greater transparency about how animals were raised, and inspires producers to move up to higher Step levels. And, of course, it benefits the animals themselves.”

I asked Miyun what’s next for Global Animal Partnership. “We’ve been extremely busy revising the three current sets of standards based on all of our learnings and new scientific research, expanding our auditor training materials, and much more. Currently, there are Step-rated farms and ranches in the U.S., Canada and Australia, and we are already talking with producers in other countries. Plus we’ve been in discussions with grocery stores and restaurants here and abroad. It’s exciting to know there’s so much interest in our 5-Step program! On top of that, we are also working on three new sets of standards — for egg-laying hens, turkeys and lambs. So watch this space for lots of updates in the future!”

Learn more about Global Animal Partnership and their programs.