Whole Foods: Buy It Or Not??
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John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, is moving in a new direction. He has become a low-fat vegan himself and is encouraging employees of the market to do the same by offering various incentives.
He is also moving the market toward healthier foods, incrementally. Read about it in the Wall Street Journal (tip from the McDougall newsletter: google “WSJ and John Mackey” to get the whole article; otherwise you have to subscribe). You can also read other reports on this conversion in other papers.
This is the same John Mackey who promoted his store anonymously online. The same John Mackey who bought up Wild Oats and had a run-in with the FTC in the process. In other words, this man seems ready to do whatever it takes to make his business succeed.
Does this mean we should shun Whole Foods? I certainly understand those who say yes. I am not as convinced by those who simply call it “Whole Paycheck” and smirk and go elsewhere. The cost of the food is not the question here. The question is, what about a business that does the right thing for perhaps the wrong reasons?
I’m okay with it. He says he wants to make America healthier. Maybe he actually means that. Of course he wants his business to succeed. That isn’t exactly an evil mission. I am reminded, though, of oil companies telling us they care about the environment and boasting of their efforts to preserve certain wild spaces. We know that they had to make these preservation efforts. The fact that they were forced to do so, though, does not make the spaces any less important.
I’m okay with John Mackey making money from selling an oil-free vegan life. Would I also be okay if Vons Markets started promoting veganism even while its leaders sat back and ate steak? I think I would.
[disclosure: I own a miniscule number of Whole Foods stock.]
I shop at about four different grocery stores regularly, including Whole Foods. I don’t really care much about the store. I care most about what they sell. If another store opened up and carried the same products at a better price or with a better attitude, I’d shop there instead.
I have been shopping at Whole foods for over 3 years now. I love how I can go to that store and am able to buy many many animal free products. And as far as the price of everything being high, well I would rather spend my money on food than at the hospital. You are what you eat! I am very happy to have Whole Foods and I wish that there were more whole food stores around. I have to travel kind of far to go grocery shopping, so that would be nice. But I do buy my almond milk from somewhere who’s prices are cheaper.
John Mackey’s been vegan since 2003 – or at least, vegan according to his definition. He apparently did/does eat eggs from his own free-range flock. See here: http://www.grist.org/article/little-mackey/
I must admit, I am ambivalent about eggs in this context. I have considered getting a couple of pet ducks, and if I had ducks, I would probably eat their eggs. I have a neighbor who has a small, very well-treated flock of pet ducks, and I have been known to eat their eggs. I guess I sort of see it like having any other pet – if I collected the fur from my dogs and used it to knit mittens, would I no longer be vegan? Anyway, just thought I’d throw that out there.
I love whole foods. While I wish they did sell less meat and cheese and more vegan options they sell the most vegan options out of any grocery store around. So yes I am willing to spend more money to support a store that advocates for a better environment, a more healthy society, and maybe ultimately veganism.