5 ms·

> That has less to do with what ingredients customers shop for, and more to do with the fact that people aren't preparing meals at home at all. I'd say it's a

> That has less to do with what ingredients customers shop for, and more to do with the fact that people aren't preparing meals at home at all. I'd say it's a bit of both. It's nice to know that the prepared food at WFM adheres to the same guidelines as the rest of the store (e.g. no HFCS, no trans fat, humane meats, etc). It's pretty hard to find a restaurant anywhere with such standards.

tptacek 11y ago
I'm a lot less sure. Whole Foods sells and uses factory protein. They have to: they're one of the largest grocers in the country. I'm an investor in a very well-known Chicago local butcher, and they have trouble meeting demand --- and they're a store you have to go out of your way to drive to to get local food. I'm somewhat skeptical of Whole Foods meat. I buy it without worrying, and I do actively avoid Tyson and Smithfield and whatnot, but I'm probably not avoiding antibiotics or animal cruelty by doing so. (WFM discloses this to customers with their 1-2-3-4-5 scale). General rule of thumb: if you can buy a package of 12 or more chicken thighs, and there's another of the same package of 12 or more chicken thighs sitting right behind the one you bought, you're buying factory chicken. Most restaurants are eliminating trans fats. I think HFCS is a cosmetic issue. Sugar is sugar, and it's all bad for you. But then: if you make potato salad at home, is it likely to be more healthful than what you get at WFM? The opposite is, I think, true: WFM's is tailored for palatability, and yours is tailored for ease of preparation, because you only have one family to feed, and WFM can amortize palatability over hundreds of families. Palatability means sugar and fat.
- jkarneges 11y ago
  Whether or not any of WFM policies pass scrutiny doesn't change the fact many people do visit the store due to these policies and that the prepared foods adhere to them. :) I am hopeful about the meat, at least. In the bay area, much of the chicken comes locally from Mary's which appears to be a legit operation.
- deciplex 11y ago
  > Sugar is sugar You seem to be knowledgeable enough about nutrition in general to also know this isn't true. There are different kinds of sugar, so what are you getting at here?

tptacek 11y ago

I'm a lot less sure. Whole Foods sells and uses factory protein. They have to: they're one of the largest grocers in the country. I'm an investor in a very well-known Chicago local butcher, and they have trouble meeting demand --- and they're a store you have to go out of your way to drive to to get local food. I'm somewhat skeptical of Whole Foods meat. I buy it without worrying, and I do actively avoid Tyson and Smithfield and whatnot, but I'm probably not avoiding antibiotics or animal cruelty by doing so. (WFM discloses this to customers with their 1-2-3-4-5 scale). General rule of thumb: if you can buy a package of 12 or more chicken thighs, and there's another of the same package of 12 or more chicken thighs sitting right behind the one you bought, you're buying factory chicken. Most restaurants are eliminating trans fats. I think HFCS is a cosmetic issue. Sugar is sugar, and it's all bad for you. But then: if you make potato salad at home, is it likely to be more healthful than what you get at WFM? The opposite is, I think, true: WFM's is tailored for palatability, and yours is tailored for ease of preparation, because you only have one family to feed, and WFM can amortize palatability over hundreds of families. Palatability means sugar and fat.

jkarneges 11y ago
Whether or not any of WFM policies pass scrutiny doesn't change the fact many people do visit the store due to these policies and that the prepared foods adhere to them. :) I am hopeful about the meat, at least. In the bay area, much of the chicken comes locally from Mary's which appears to be a legit operation.
deciplex 11y ago
> Sugar is sugar You seem to be knowledgeable enough about nutrition in general to also know this isn't true. There are different kinds of sugar, so what are you getting at here?