Yesterday, I was at the Whole Foods store in Tribeca (Lower Manhattan in NYC) and got a preview of a new concept that the company is piloting at five locations across the country – Wellness Clubs.

Whole Foods embarks on many different programs, most of which I am impressed with, but these Wellness Clubs may be its best one yet.

John Mackey, the Co-CEO and Founder of Whole Foods, has taken the unusual, bold and admirable step to use his corporation as a tool to improve the health of American citizens. He has declared that a plant-based diet is the way that people will become healthier, and Whole Foods has developed initiatives around this (his) philosophy. Read more »

A recent study conducted by Harris Interactive, on behalf of Whole Foods Markets Inc., showed that Americans continue to spend money on organic food, in spite of the challenging economy.

Out of the more than 2,000 individuals surveyed,

– Nearly 3 out of 4 people wouldn’t compromise on the quality of the food that they buy.

– 72% of the respondents said they would continue to buy the same amount of natural and/or organic food as they always have.

– 24% of people said natural and/or organic food would make up more than a quarter of their total household food purchases this year.

The following results were particularly notable. Read more »

Everyone knows that Whole Foods is the absolute king of the organic food industry. While it does receive a good amount of criticism and is by no means perfect, I am a fan of the company.

And it is not just me who appreciates Whole Foods. When you go to Natural Products Expo West or Natural Products Expo East, the two most important trade shows in the organic industry, one of the first things that small organic food companies tell you is how many Whole Foods’ stores they are in.

Quite simply, it is a benchmark of their progress and establishes immediate credibility.

Yet, one aspect of Whole Foods that gets completely overlooked is the fantastic work it does with its Whole Planet Foundation. Read more »

In case you haven’t seen it, this rap video about Whole Foods has gone viral on YouTube.

It is pretty comical.  My favorite lines include:

“You know the deal with the little shopping carts they got” – Yes, I do.  I really enjoy them.

“I’ve been on edge ever since they took Kombucha out” – This move caused quite a controversy. Read more »

When I was in a Whole Foods in Denver recently, I came across an interesting magazine that I had never seen before called Gastronomica.

However, as soon as I saw the $12 price tag, I immediately put it down. It seemed very expensive, and I had already spent too much money on food as it was.

Once back in New York City, I saw Gastronomica again but this time I decided to splurge.

It only took a few minutes for me to realize that not only was this an absolute gem of a magazine but the $12 price was actually a bargain.

How could a $12 magazine be a bargain? Let me explain. Read more »

Tonight in NYC, I will be going to a screening of the documentary Forks Over Knives, which is being presented in conjunction with Whole Foods.

For those who do not know much about this film, Forks Over Knives highlights the tremendous health epidemic we have in the U.S. and uses The China Study as evidence that an animal-foods based diet is the reason for the tremendous sickness that we face.

The fact that Whole Foods is presenting this film is not a surprise in the least. Last year, I wrote a post which said that Whole Foods was encouraging people “to reduce or eliminate” animal-based foods.

Initially, I found this rather perplexing given that animal-based products contribute a significant percentage to their sales.

Whether you believe an animal-based diet is responsible for our health problems or not, it is irrefutable that we are a sick country and something needs to be done.

Just as The Environmental Working Group recently put out its bottled water rankings, The Cornucopia Institute has done something similar but with eggs.

While many people may assume that all organic eggs are very similar, this does not appear to be the case. Cornucopia rated all brands of eggs based on 22 criteria that are important to consumers and the results, and accompanying video, were quite telling.

For those organic egg eaters out there, this report will make you think twice next time you go to the market.

To read Cornucopia’s Organic Egg Scorecard and to find out how your eggs rate, click HERE.

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