> I find it funny that when you drill down, the only supposed quality decrease is in the "freshness" of produce and meat The difference in quality has little t

> I find it funny that when you drill down, the only supposed quality decrease is in the "freshness" of produce and meat The difference in quality has little to do with "freshness." I recently studied the difference between Whole Foods and Fresh Direct in some detail. Fresh Direct is generally 20% more expensive than Whole Foods. We were looking to cut our budget, so switching from Fresh Direct to Whole Foods was an easy choice. However, after a few weeks, it was clear that the quality just isn't as good. Here are a few examples: 1. Fresh Direct has heritage raised chicken and pork. The chicken, in particular is amazing. It's much smaller than a typical chicken, way more flavorful, and the color of the meat is so interesting. The dark meat has a beautiful purple luster not found in the Whole Foods chicken. 2. The "Animal Wellfare Certified" meats at Whole Foods are all step 1 or step 2. Fresh Directly has many step 3 and step 4 options. 3. All of the Lancaster Co-op produce is really good. Can't find anything like it at Whole Foods. 4. We eat a lot of fruit during the summer. Certain produce at Whole Foods is just bad. Like I could not buy a good organic peach at Whole Foods. They always came rock hard and never softened.