(NaturalHealth365)  Maybe there was a time when Whole Foods was considered the gold standard for all things healthy, natural, and pure.  However, it seems that the ‘crown of goodness’ has been tarnished over the years with shady, behind-the-scenes deception.

This time, though, the Amazon-owned grocery chain just slaps us right in the face with a surprising (and alarming) partnership deal.  This latest deal raises serious questions about Whole Foods’ commitment to its founding principles and its customers’ trust in its brand.

Fake food is now whole food?

Impossible Foods established a presence in food service beginning in 2016.  In 2019, the company began putting products on grocery store shelves.  But Whole Foods was conspicuously absent, reportedly upholding its food ingredient quality standards that it so proudly publicizes.

Fake food giant Impossible Foods recently announced a “highly anticipated” deal with Whole Foods that will begin with the launch of the company’s fake chicken products on Whole Foods’ shelves.

Just like standing in a garage doesn’t make you a car, simply having your processed food on the shelves of Whole Foods doesn’t make it a whole food.  Despite the marketing efforts, these highly processed items still fall short of the standards that consumers expect from Whole Foods.

But apparently, the store isn’t living up to its own standards.  In fact, this is not the first time the company has been caught in compromising positions.  There have been some pretty serious Whole Foods scandals over the years.

“No antibiotics, ever.” Well, maybe a little

In 2022, the non-profit Farm Forward exposed Whole Foods’ deceptive labeling of meat, supported by the tagline, “No antibiotics, ever.” Testing beef purchased from the grocery chain showed traces of monensin, a growth antibiotic.  The chemical fenbendazole, an antiparasitic, was also found in five other samples of beef from the store.

This led to allegations of false claims made by Whole Foods, which cited the dangers of consuming the tainted beef, especially if it was not cooked properly.  Then, there was also the issue of inflated pricing while making false claims about the product.  The price of the beef in question was 30% higher than the beef at other “conventional” grocery stores.

Organic by whose standards?

In 2015, consumer fraud accusations rose against Whole Foods, targeting the company’s “Responsibly Grown” produce rating program.  The Cornucopia Institute, a national farm policy research group, led the charge, raising concerns over distributors or farms that were given positive labels under the program even though they did not meet the standards.

So, customers who shopped at the store, trusting that the company adhered to its own standards, paid higher prices for products that should never have been labeled in the first place.

Not so “local” food products

Speaking of deceptive labeling, the “local” products on Whole Foods’ shelves may not be so local after all.  The retailer seems to use a very loose definition of the term.

A non-dairy yogurt is marketing itself as local because the company is headquartered fairly close, but in fact, the cashews, which are the primary ingredient, come all the way from Vietnam and the Ivory Coast – not so local after all.

All natural, except …

In 2014, a class action lawsuit against Whole Foods surfaced, alleging deceptive labeling, specifically for the “all-natural” brands.  Many of them actually contained chemical preservatives, artificial coloring, artificial flavorings, and other artificial ingredients.

One of the products mentioned was the company’s own 365 Everyday Value brand cola, which sported the “all-natural” label despite containing a laundry list of artificial ingredients.

A shadow supporter of Monsanto?

In 2016, a mini-documentary (no longer available due to the account closing) claimed that Whole Foods was in bed with Monsanto.  These allegations have been swirling around for years, but the company vehemently denies them – well, sort of.

Over the years, there have been instances where Whole Foods has quietly given up a little ground to Monsanto, including an acquiescence to the USDA approving a “conditional deregulation” of herbicide-resistant, GMO alfalfa produced by Monsanto.  This is a very deep, shadowy rabbit hole and it may not even be possible to arrive at the truth.

Whole Foods is not the only girl at the dance.  You can do better.

Is Whole Foods just a target because it claims to offer healthy, all-natural food?  There is a slight possibility, but not likely.  There is simply too much evidence stacked against them.  Too many issues have been brought to light that are backed by solid evidence.

So shop at your own risk.

The alternative?  Grow your own food or buy your food from truly local farms.

Yes, it is much more convenient to run to a grocery store and pick up what you need.  Everything is in one place, and you can have the butcher cut your roast into stew meat if you would like.  But should we sacrifice our health, the quality of the food we purchase, and TRUTH for convenience?

Getting your food from local farmers not only ensures that your food is indeed local and organic, it also helps to support your local economy and small, family farms.  You can find these farmers on sites like LocalHarvest.org and EatWild. com

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (SustainableAgriculture.net) has many resources to help connect consumers with local farmers in their area.

Simply put, for the health of you and your family, it’s time to get back to the basics of truly healthy food.

Sources for this article include:

Fooddive.com
Wholefoodsmarket.com
Farmforward.com
Cornucopia.org
Yahoo.com
OKTjustice.org
Localharvest.org
Eatwild.com
Sustainableagriculture.net