New initiatives from Whole Foods

Posted by David Roberts at 2:31 PM on 29 Jun 2006

I wrote a post a little while back about the exchange going on between food writer Michael Pollan and Whole Foods Market honcho John Mackey. The subject has been some claims about Whole Foods' relationship to "industrial organic" made in Pollan's book The Omnivore's Dilemma. Read that previous post for background.

Mackey has written another detailed letter to Pollan. It's interesting throughout, but the big news comes at the end, when Mackey announces a series of new initiatives the company is undertaking. They will be attempting to build up a system of animal-compassionate small farms, buying more local food, setting up a loan program for small farmers, opening their parking lots for local farmers to sell directly to consumers (!), and increasing consumer education on the subject of local food. Pretty radical stuff.

I haven't seen this picked up in the mainstream media yet, but I expect it will be.

Here's the relevant part of the letter:

In my first paragraph of this letter I promised to tell you about some exciting new initiatives that Whole Foods Market is launching. So here goes:

We've hired our first animal compassionate field buyer, Andrew Gunther, who is going to work exclusively on developing sources of animal products that meet our new strict animal compassionate standards. Andrew is well qualified for this post as he has owned and managed a very successful organic farm in the U.K. and has pioneered animal compassionate methods on his farm for chickens, ducks, turkeys, beef cattle, and pigs. Andrew is a knowledgeable and passionate man concerning animal welfare. We're lucky to have him working with us. All of Andrew's initial animal compassionate suppliers will be relatively small in scale. If you check out our animal compassionate standards you will see that the standards have specific provisions requiring access to pasture (going beyond the current organic standards regarding pasture). Pasture is not optional in these standards but is one of the core values. If you know of any animal compassionate farmers (including 100% grass farmers) interested in selling to Whole Foods Market, please have them contact Andrew at Andrew.Gunther@wholefoods.com.

Whole Foods Market is changing the job responsibilities of our Regional Buyers to focus more on sourcing local products for their stores.

We have set up an annual budget of $10 million to promote local agriculture (especially animal agriculture) wherever we have stores through long-term loans at low rates of interest. Select Regional and Store Buyers will be empowered to extend these loans to help support smaller scale agricultural entrepreneurs. This money will be used to help local producers of grass fed beef, goat milk dairies, organic pasture based eggs, animal compassionate dairy cows, chickens, turkeys, sheep, pigs, etc. Some of the money will also be used to help support local vegetable farmers as well. It is Whole Foods Market's intention to help finance local agriculture all over the United States. We are going to "walk our talk" with financial support for local, small scale agriculture. We are inspired by the initial success of our Whole Planet Foundation's work with micro-credit loans in developing world communities that we trade with. We see that these small loans are making a huge difference in the lives of poor people in Guatemala and Costa Rica (with new loan projects being set up in India and Honduras in 2007-and eventually around the "whole planet"). We intend to do a similar thing to support local agriculture wherever we have stores. We believe this financial assistance of $10 million per year can make a very significant difference in helping local agriculture grow and flourish across the United States and in parts of Canada and the U.K. as well. Each year we will make an additional $10 million available for loans. Also as the loans are paid back, we will recycle the returned capital back into additional loans. Over time this will result in a very positive and strong multiplier effect on local agriculture.

Whole Foods Market is committed to supporting local farmers markets across the United States (and also in Canada and the U.K.). Beginning soon, many of our markets where we have stand-alone stores (no other retailers sharing our parking lots) will close off major sections of the parking lots on Sunday to provide a place for local farmers to sell their products directly to customers. Whenever possible we will work in cooperation with any existing farmers markets. In most cases, our stores have excellent store locations and heavy customer traffic to help these farmers markets to successfully flourish. This support of local farmers markets is consistent with our stakeholder philosophy since it directly benefits five of our six major stakeholders-customers, team members, suppliers, community, and environment. Also, our shareholders will benefit directly if store traffic increases enough to offset the amount of sales lost to the local farmers, and they will definitely benefit indirectly through increased customer and community goodwill.

Our Regional and Store Marketing Teams are now directly responsible for communicating and educating our customers about locally produced products. Some of our Marketers are already doing this, but company-wide we aren't doing nearly enough to tell the stories of our local producers. This is going to seriously improve over the next 12 to 24 months.

Very cool. This, along with the rest of the letter, presents a convincing case that Whole Foods is not some money-hungry corporation simply out to capitalize on the excitement over organic food. The folks there seem genuinely invested in doing good, building up local foodsheds and improving the execrable treatment of animals common in the U.S. food system today. Color me impressed.

For story: New initiatives from Whole Foods
10 Comments | Post a Comment

whole foods

The plans and ideas put forth in the letter from Whole Foods do sound wonderful. My only concern is that they hold true to these ideas. The history of large corporations with good intentions does not hold out.

Whole Foods growth goal for the next 10 years is to hold 20% of the world wide organic and natural food market. Some may see this as progress but as a farmer, I have seen this before. The danger is this puts Whole Foods in the possition of dictating what is organic and what it means.

Once again, we could be repeating what is already taking place in food retailing and that is consolidation, fewer options, lower quality and total control dictated by the retailer.

If Whole Foods follows through with what was stated in the letter, they could be in a possition to really boost local and sustainable food systems. If it is short lived and done half heartedly, then they could do more damage then good.

Brian Moyer Green Haven Farm

by brianm22 at 5:57 AM on 01 Jul 2006

read between the lines

Yes, it is true Whole Foods must listen to the crowds clamoring for local food which, by the way, a UK study found can be better for the environment than organic. But is WFMI really doing anything?
A closer look at Mackey's letter reveals he hired someone to be a spokes person, is offering loans to farmers, putting a new line in the buyer's job description, sticking a pamphlet on local foods in with 20 other pamphlets, and, maybe, allowing some stores to have a farmer's market on site. That is a big maybe.
Walk into one of Whole Foods stores and you will find a different story. The few, very few, local products I have found are pushed behind other products. When you can find them, often the prices are higher than the organic. Why? Our local coop works with the farmers on pricing to assure success. There are many different ways to accomplish this, but Whole Foods would prefer to markup local product to make it prohibitive.
It is unfortunate that we are criticizing WFMI for doing exactly what other retailers are doing. We expect more from them because they claim to be more. Usually they are, but in the case of local they fall short.

heather

by heather at 7:27 AM on 01 Jul 2006

How many stand-alone Whole Foods are there?

I love the idea of opening the parking lots to farmers. But the fine print says that it will only happen at the stores that are "stand-alones" -- and many being built aren't.

Whole Foods Info from Mr. Food Markets http://foodmarketindex.com mailto:info@foodmarketindex.com

by Mr Food Markets at 8:50 PM on 01 Jul 2006

Peter Singer; educating the public

This is a fascinating exchange, not yet over by any means. John Mackey seems to be an intelligent and sincere and committed person, and I am happy to give him the benefit of the doubt. But I very much hope Michael Pollan will remain in pursuit. As a popular late president, whose face came close to being included with those of his illustrious predecessors on Mount Rushmore, is said to have said: "Trust; but verify."

We should not be unaware of the several reposts on Mackey's blog, mostly from doubters. I submitted the following, which may or may not be accepted. I am genuinely grateful that Mackey makes so much of Peter Singer. But I do hear what Michael Pollan was saying, with the "window-dressing" argument.

So, from me to John Mackey:
<<
Thanks, John Mackey, for putting so much time and thought into this response to Michael Pollan. I hope that your proposals will be effective and widespread; and I hope that you and Mr. Pollan will in time come to reach a fuller agreement over these matters of terrific consequence, to which you have both committed yourselves in your own ways.

I was particularly happy to see you praise so highly the work of Peter Singer and Jim Mason. I too admire them greatly. Their work deserves a wide readership, and I thank you for helping them reach it.

Related to animal rights (but not really the same, and needing to be distinguished) is an important biodiversity issue, the plight of many oceanic fish species, especially as adversely affected by fisheries. I am not acquainted with Whole Foods' practices and policies regarding such endangered fish as swordfish and Patagonian toothfish ("Chilean sea bass"), and so have nothing to say to you on the subject at present. But I agree with Michael Pollan that in order for your actions to remain consistent with your professed values (and you have set yourself an admirably high bar!), including a commitment to educate people toward making thoughtful and responsible environmental choices in the food they buy, you will need to be sure you are doing all you can in discouraging them from making very bad choices.

Best wishes. And yes, Vive la re'volution! Let us hope we are all soon persuaded of your full engagement.
>>

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 11:33 PM on 01 Jul 2006

Whole Foods

One of the things about Whole Foods is that they have been consistently anti-union.

http://www.wholeworkersunite.org/

patrick

by bookerly at 5:14 PM on 02 Jul 2006

Standards Shamdards

The humane food movement requires third-party verification. Standards are not enough. The humane standards for most animals have been developed by one organization, Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC). This Virginia-based non-profit contracts animal behaviorists to evaluate individual farms' adherence to established guidelines for what constitutes humane practices. Having had the chance to meet some of the HFCA people and buying meat products only from HFAC-approved sources, I have seen how the humane standards are now where the organic standards were fifteen years ago. Humane agriculture lacks clear standards and informed consumers must not assume that it is humane unless someone without a conflict of interest verifies their claim.

While I am heartened by this indication from WF along with the local producer initiative, they must work within the establish Certified Humane program or work to develop an alternate third-party verification system, because without this any branded humane care endorsement program will flounder due to the confusion it creates, look at the Free Farmed program - it is gone. Personally, I strongly endorse the HFAC "Certified Humane" program and hope a diverse good of producers will get on the bandwagon to streamline the mainstream acceptance of this standard.

AlexC, Consumer, Humane & Sustainability Farming Advocate

by AlexC at 1:01 PM on 03 Jul 2006

standards

Thanks, AlexC, for these observations on the questionability of "standards," and on the need always for inspections by disinterested observers.

The subject of consumers' visiting local poultry farms, say, to check out those egg producers claiming their chickens are "free-range," and their eggs are "organic," has come up already in Grist discussions. I for one, who am rarely able to travel much anywhere, would find such a visit difficult to make, as much as I appreciate how valuable it would be. The lazy way out is of course to trust producers and marketers at their word. And that is hardly the best solution, is it.

It seems as though a "critical mass" is just about here, regarding a demand for a trustworthy "Certified Humane" mark. Hopefully Humane Farm Animal Care and their allies will show the way.

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 10:23 PM on 03 Jul 2006

whole foods

How can Bob Mackey ( of whom I met, and well i will be nice.) State that he is putting organic foods into the hands of thousands when the average person cannot afford to spend the money that they charge???????

thom M.

by thom at 6:26 PM on 06 Jul 2006

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.

by Fred at 9:54 PM on 08 Jul 2006

"glitzy"

Thanks, Fred, this is valuable. And thanks, Patrick, for bringing up the anti-union matter earlier, which is very troubling.

In fact, the Whole Foods nearest to us is in the poshest new address in Manhattan (well OK, Tribeca will always have something better), the relatively new, ultra-glamorous CNN tower on Columbus Circle, poised strategically between mid-town and the Upper West Side.

The link to the "detailed letter to Pollan," in David's initial post, brings us to its blog reposts: strange conversation, with a couple of critics, but mostly people who think Whole Foods is the Answer to All Our Problems, one of whom suggests that Michael Pollan is a communist, and it is a curious coincidence that "Joel Salatin" looks like "Joseph Stalin."

So no, even though I liked some of John Mackey's words (and I can hardly believe our David is a "shill"; no, he is just as impressionable and optimistic as I am), I do not intend to make a point of shopping at Whole Foods. And I look forward to hearing something by way of response from Michael Pollan.

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 3:38 AM on 09 Jul 2006

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