by Abby Coven

As the Whole Foods megastore on Los Gatos Boulevard is on the verge of opening, the establishment has yet to deliver on the promises and image it puts forward. Whole Foods distinguishes itself by having more healthy, environmentally conscious foods through its marketing, atmosphere, and even the verbiage on product labels. But most people are unaware of what happens behind the scenes that makes these marketing tools deceitful. Whole Foods should actually be offering the premium and sustainable products that it claims to have if it wants to continue to charge high prices and sell an eco-friendly image. 

Whole Foods attempts to cultivate a feeling of pride among shoppers who believe their purchase choices reflect a personal value of shopping clean. It’s not surprising that customers feel overwhelmed by the store’s green-washed advertisements. Whole Foods inscribes almost every package and sign with words like “eco-friendly,” “local,” or “responsibly sourced.” These labels are deceptions, hidden behind terms that aren’t legally defined, allowing for loopholes instead of meeting strict standards. For instance, the word “local” misrepresents the majority of Whole Foods’s inventory because many products are imported from other countries, including avocados grown in Mexico.

While the store promotes an organic image, it actually offers a large number of highly processed products. Consumers often think there are only two systems of food production. One is the industrial food system, which is the main form of production behind fast food. The second is the local food system, such as local farms and farmers’ markets. Whole Foods markets itself as part of the local food system, but it falls somewhere in between. This grey area is called industrial organic and is only slightly better than the industrial food system.

In addition, the “eco-friendly” persona the store showcases is entirely misleading. While flying or shipping food across the globe does cater to customers’ desire for year-round fresh fruit and vegetables, it also produces massive carbon emissions. The fossil fuels used in transportation and the reliance on fancy plastic packaging have a negative impact on the environment. Moreover, Amazon bought Whole Foods in 2017 and tarnished its noncorporate image. Amazon’s reputation as one of the largest, environmentally unfriendly, and ethically challenged corporations in the world makes its ownership of Whole Foods run counter to Whole Foods’s methodically curated culture. Amazon’s impact on Whole Foods forced them to centralize food producers even more, which phased out increasing numbers of local and regional brands.

The recipe for Whole Foods’s success is for it to stop selling lies for profit. To do this, the store should either de-greenify its wording or actually offer a majority of products that are truly organic and sustainable. 

(Sources: CNBC, Food and Power, Whole Foods Market)