In my Wednesdays at Whole Foods column last December, I wrote about how the company would be rolling out a very innovative produce rating system in 2014.

Well, the wait is over.

After three years of exhaustive research, planning, and collaboration with suppliers, scientists and issue experts, Responsibly Grown, as the program is officially known, was just announced this morning.

And my enthusiasm about this initiative back then has been echoed by many industry leaders today.

THE PROGRAM

Responsibly Grown is a produce rating system that assesses growing practices that impact human health and the environment. Read more »

On the first Wednesday of every other month, I have a column called Wednesdays at Whole Foods. It showcases the most interesting news, products, store events, and happenings at the company.

SMART MOVES

As the competition heats up in the organic retailing world, Whole Foods Market has announced some very compelling initiatives that will surely enhance the customer experience.

– Home Delivery Whole Foods Market recently agreed to a partnership with Instacart, which will enable shoppers to have products delivered to them in as little as one hour. Additionally, customers will soon also have the option to place orders via Instacart and pick up their order at a local participating Whole Foods Market store. Read more »

On the first Wednesday of every other month, I have a column called Wednesdays at Whole Foods. It showcases the most interesting news, products, store events, and happenings at the company.

A MARKET ON WHEELS

When Co-CEO Walter Robb first envisioned how Whole Foods Market could play an active role in improving fresh food access to underserved populations in this country, my guess is that trolleys were not on his mind.

But thanks to an incredibly enterprising woman in Portland, Oregon named Amelia Pape, the company may have found its most important and unexpected vehicle (no pun intended) to achieve this goal.

Having recently finished her MBA at Portland State in 2011, Amelia Pape felt a calling to tackle the food access problem as well. Read more »

On the first Wednesday of every other month, I have a column called Wednesdays at Whole Foods. It showcases the most interesting news, products, store events, and happenings at the company.

DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH

It didn’t take long for me to be blown away by a new drink called Graindrops.

And apparently, the same holds true for Whole Foods Market, who first discovered Graindrops ten years ago in Germany at BioFach 2004, the world’s largest trade show dedicated to organic products.

At the time, Graindrops had only been selling single grain (rice, oat, spelt) milks in Europe.

But these were hardly your average milks. Read more »

In a recent online survey of a 1,000 health-conscious consumers conducted by Market LOHAS – Mambo Sprouts Marketing Research, it was found that 80% of shoppers seek out non-GMO products, with 56% saying non-GMO was key to brand buying versus 52% for organic.

Hence, a product that has the words “Non-GMO” on its packaging is going to carry more weight with consumers than “Organic”.

On many levels, this is incredibly worrisome, mostly because shoppers are making the absolute wrong and unhealthy decision at the supermarket. Read more »

On the first Wednesday of every other month, I have a column called Wednesdays at Whole Foods. It showcases the most interesting news, products, store events, and happenings at the company.

TASTING WHILE TWEETING

If you are a wine aficionado, Whole Foods Market has something very cool for you.

On eight different Thursday nights throughout the year, the company hosts Twitter Wine Tastings.

The Twitter Tastings are led and moderated by the global wine buyers Doug Bell and Master Sommelier Devon Broglie, who hand-pick in advance the four wines to be discussed. Read more »

On the first Wednesday of every other month, I have a column called Wednesdays at Whole Foods. It showcases the most interesting news, products, store events, and happenings at the company.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SOAP

Have you ever heard of Dark Rye?

No, not the bread. The James Beard award-winning online magazine from Whole Foods Market that is putting out incredibly compelling content with cutting edge design. If you haven’t seen it yet, definitely take a look. You’ll be surprised, and very impressed, at what you discover.

In the recently released issue of Dark Rye called The Body Issue, we are introduced to Olowan’djo Tchala, the founder of Alaffia, an African company producing super-high quality lotions, body and face washes, soaps, and other body care products.

Olowan’djo Tchala started the company as a way to support communities and employ women in his home country of Togo. All of the shea and coconut products sourced for his products are fair trade, and the shea is harvested and processed in Togo by a cooperative of women who use a traditional, centuries-old technique. Using this process means keeping African traditions and culture alive while simultaneously processing ingredients without harmful chemicals. Read more »