Top 6 things you need to know about Whole Foods

Lifestyles
By Mark Fisher
Oct 14, 2013
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Here are six things you may not know about Whole Foods, which will soon elbow its way into the already highly competitive Dayton-area grocery market with a new 45,000-square-foot store at McEwen Road and Miamisburg-Centerville Road (Ohio 725) in Washington Twp. between the Dayton Mall and Centerville:

• Whole Foods bills itself as the nation’s top retailer of natural and organic foods, and it’s hard to argue with a company that operates 355 stores in 40 U.S. states, Canada and the U.K. But not all of the food that Whole Foods sells is organic. Its produce section has multiple selections of fruits and vegetables that are not organic, although they’re clearly labeled “conventional.” You can bet that the organic items are clearly and prominently labeled as organic.

• Some of the nation’s most recognizable national brands are nowhere to be found in Whole Foods. If you have great loyalty to a certain brand of soup, or soft drink, or snack food, there’s a good chance you’ll be disappointed.

• While not known for its bargain-basement prices, Whole Foods does offer some real values and variety in its bulk foods section, where you’ll find just about every kind of bean, seed, nut and grain. You can buy all-purpose white flour in bulk for 89 cents a pound, or white spelt flour for $2.99 a pound. And bulk oats are $1.99 a pound.

• Despite its clear identity as a national-chain, Whole Foods seeks out local products to sell in its stores, and touts them with special green stickers that say “From Around Here,” with the precise number of miles away from the store hand-written on the sticker to drive home the point. And it’s not just in-season produce. The Whole Foods store in Mason, for example, sells pet treats from “Give A Doggy A Bone,” a pet-food bakery in Hamilton, Ohio. And in the wine department, Valley Vineyards from nearby Morrow (nine miles away) gets top-shelf billing, sharing shelf space with another Ohio winery’s offering, Kinkead Ridge’s River Village Cellars (46 miles away).

• Nearly every product is described or labeled as some combination of sustainable, organic, natural, fair trade, free trade, etc. A spokeswoman said, “Whole Foods Market believes quality and transparency are inseparable.” The grocer uses Global Animal Partnership 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating system logos for meat and sustainable seafood. And where else can a discerning shopper pick up a jar of Fair Trade Shea Butter along with a package of Gluten-Free, Corn-Free, Vegan Chocolate Chip Quinoa Cookies?

• Earlier this month, Whole Foods introduced its own line of pet food called “Whole Paws,” 24 products for dogs and cats that include grain-free adult dog food and training treats, and an cat litter with baking soda. A spokeswoman said the Whole Paws food products are made with “chicken, salmon and other wholesome, nutrient-rich ingredients” and contain “no corn or soy, no animal by-products, no artificial colors, no artificial preservatives, and no added sugar.”

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About the Author

Mark Fisher, a 1981 graduate of Ohio State University and a 1976 graduate of Beavercreek High School, is a third-generation Dayton-area resident who has worked for the Dayton Daily News since 1983. He covered higher education and K-12 education accountability issues for nearly 20 years before taking over the food and dining beat in 2006.