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  Whole Foods Supporting Local Farmers? Not quite!!

  Is David Roberts a staff writer for Grist?  
  Normally, I like this website.  Who are you shilling  for, David?  

  Whole Foods is a large, very rapidly -growing company with Anti-union practices and is very anti-local grower.  I almost never go into the stores because almost all the produce is from Imperial Valley, California, or Mexico or Chile.  "Food from 10,000 miles away" seems to be the Whole Food motto.  

  My knowledge of Whole Foods stems from long-standing experience of my brother, who is a full-time, certified organic farmer.  He used to sell his own, locally-grown organic produce to a Whole Foods store in Midwest.  He no longer sells there.  His experience with Whole Foods was miserable.  The management of the store paid very little for the produce.  They set the price, just Like WALMART.    They eventually refused to buy his produce anymore, complaining that the produce was 'sandy' and made comments the 'too is large for our customers.'  

  My brother stopped selling to Whole Foods years ago.  Too much trouble.  His farm is flourishing and he has found ample customers who buy directly from him, no middleman.  Fortunately, he did not suffer as much as his other organic grower friend did who were also selling to Whole Foods in the Midwest.  They no longer sell to WF either.  Whole foods cancelled one oral contract with one grower in the middle of the season.  Fortunately, both local organic growers got wise and will not sell to WF.  They won't consider going there.  

  Whole Foods is basically a glitzy, anti-union palace selling California produce to: 1) folks who don't know much about local organic produce and 2) folks with too much money.  Among my community, Whole Foods is a sad joke.  

  Final Word:  Join a C.S.A. or visit your local Farmers market.  Whole Foods and stores like them are just part of the Empire.  On New initiatives from Whole Foods posted 3 years, 4 months ago 10 Responses