Whole Foods Organic Lies

[Referee]

A closer look at Whole Foods Markets West Coast USA and their false Organic claims.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=oR9H7NgOLBQ

[MistahMojoRisin]

great video, thanks for sharing. I just woke up to new info!

[DeBron]

mmmm. Makes me like the farmer's markets so much more. I also get veggies from a place called Sevananda which is a Co-op here in the Atlanta area. No meat but everything in there is delicious. If it weren't for the fact that I love LOVE medium steak, bbq chicken, and Bison, I would be a vegetarian. (lol)

[n.cangiano]

I always knew they were full of it. Just want to charge more money for lies in my opinion. I've seen some of the stuff in that store priced a lot more higher then even regular supermarkets charge.

[Sidney]

Many of the foods they sell you can find at walmart for much less $$$

[DianeKJ]

Just for a bit of clarificatiion Whole Foods has in fact given support of prop 37. While I do believe you still have to be a smart shopper, even at Whole Foods, I'd rather shop here than at Walmart. Just sayin

It is a messy situation. I personally know someone that works for one of the companies that donated money to the prop. Eveything I've learned about this company thus far tell me they walk their talk as a natural foods company and even they were cautious about giving their support right away.

I fully agree that labeling Must happen, I just also know it's messier than it appears at first glance. Fingers crossed for this passing

[Gardener]

Labels are a must, in UK it will say on the ingredients label if it contains GMO eg 'modified maiz starch' how else are we to know and have choice. Monsanto have more or less left the European market with test crops. Whether or not they are operating covertly IDK.

[Noble Hops]

Fact: Whole Foods Market does NOT train its people to tell customers that they don't sell GMO product.

The deception doesn't come from the company itself, but rather from random ignorant/confused employees who haven't yet been given (or absorbed) proper training on the subject, so they speculate on an answer instead of just saying "I don't know", and referring the customer to someone who's actually on the ball. That's the real problem.

Overall, that documentary was insidious and full of disinfo.

[Referee]

Posted by DianeKJ (here)
Just for a bit of clarificatiion Whole Foods has in fact given support of prop 37. While I do believe you still have to be a smart shopper, even at Whole Foods, I'd rather shop here than at Walmart. Just sayin

It is a messy situation. I personally know someone that works for one of the companies that donated money to the prop. Eveything I've learned about this company thus far tell me they walk their talk as a natural foods company and even they were cautious about giving their support right away.

I fully agree that labeling Must happen, I just also know it's messier than it appears at first glance. Fingers crossed for this passing

Do you have a press release to back up this claim?

¤=[Post Update]=¤

Posted by Noble Hops (here)
Fact: Whole Foods Market does NOT train its people to tell customers that they don't sell GMO product.

The deception doesn't come from the company itself, but rather from random ignorant/confused employees who haven't yet been given (or absorbed) proper training on the subject, so they speculate on an answer instead of just saying "I don't know", and referring the customer to someone who's actually on the ball. That's the real problem.

Overall, that documentary was insidious and full of disinfo.

The fact is just like almost all companies they practice deceptive advertising.

[Referee]

Here is AJ today on the issue

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=yXEK1OoyW5s

[DianeKJ]

http://livingmaxwell.com/whole-foods...-in-california
http://media.wholefoodsmarket.com/ne...proposition-37

There is a start there above, going to sleep right now. I don't think they are perfect, nor do I trust any company 100% to have my health interest above their profit margin. But I do not believe they are "training" their employees to tell lies. I really think that is a stretch and an over-exaggeration.

There are other companies that are frustrating me like Safeway's "O" brand, Safeway is heavily connected to a company actually throwing money in "against" the prop. Another big company that has still remained silent on this issue, that I love to shop at is Trader Joes, not sure what is going on there.

Many, many of the organic companies are owned by huge companies like Proctor and Gamble, it's really a frustrating situation all around.

-peace,
Di

Posted by Referee (here)

Posted by DianeKJ (here)
Just for a bit of clarificatiion Whole Foods has in fact given support of prop 37. While I do believe you still have to be a smart shopper, even at Whole Foods, I'd rather shop here than at Walmart. Just sayin

It is a messy situation. I personally know someone that works for one of the companies that donated money to the prop. Eveything I've learned about this company thus far tell me they walk their talk as a natural foods company and even they were cautious about giving their support right away.

I fully agree that labeling Must happen, I just also know it's messier than it appears at first glance. Fingers crossed for this passing

Do you have a press release to back up this claim?

¤=[Post Update]=¤

Posted by Noble Hops (here)
Fact: Whole Foods Market does NOT train its people to tell customers that they don't sell GMO product.

The deception doesn't come from the company itself, but rather from random ignorant/confused employees who haven't yet been given (or absorbed) proper training on the subject, so they speculate on an answer instead of just saying "I don't know", and referring the customer to someone who's actually on the ball. That's the real problem.

Overall, that documentary was insidious and full of disinfo.

The fact is just like almost all companies they practice deceptive advertising.

[A Simple Human]

Whole Foods Market has responded to the claims in the Organic Spies YouTube video through its companies blog:

Let’s talk about GMOs at Whole Foods Market (Whole Foods Market)

Let’s talk about GMOs at Whole Foods Market
By A.C. Gallo | September 27, 2012

At Whole Foods Market, we believe consumers have the right to know how their food is produced and this includes whether or not it contains Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

The YouTube video showing our store Team Members giving conflicting responses to a question about GMOs reminds us that while we try to keep all our 70,000 Team Members up-to-speed on the latest information, clearly we need to do more. Some products in our stores DO contain GMOs – just like any other food store in the country, due to the pervasiveness of GMOs – and we need to do a better job of making sure our Team Members understand this so they can provide customers with the facts.

I hope you don’t believe the claims that Whole Foods Market is coaching its Team Members to give false information to its customers, because it’s completely untrue. The idea goes directly against who we are as a company – for years, we’ve worked hard to provide as much information as possible about our products to our customers.

Here are some things about Whole Foods Market and GMOs that you didn’t see in the video – we have:

- Invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in putting our house brand products through third party non-GMO verification.
- Worked tirelessly over the years to support organic agriculture to provide the largest variety of organic products that are grown without GMOs seed per the USDA National Organic Standards.
- Worked one-on-one with hundreds of our supplier partners to encourage them to get their ingredients from Non-GMO sources.
- Supported mandatory product labeling measures over the years, most recently including California’s Proposition 37 and Washington state’s Initiative Measure 522, with the hope that the state efforts lead to one federal standard.
- Helped inform and educate our Team Members and shoppers about the complex issue of GMOs and their prevalence in the country’s food supply.
- Celebrated Non-GMO month every October with displays, signage, and this year a sale, in our stores.
- Worked hard to provide as many Non-GMO choices for customers as we can.
- Put close to 5,000 Non-GMO Verified items on our shelves and done more than any other retailer to support Non-GMO verification and prioritize Non-GMO grocery brands.

Our promise to customers is that we will be further educating our Team Members to give good, clear information about GMOs, so that they are providing facts to those customers who have questions. One way we’re ramping up that education is by putting up GMO information centers in our stores for customer and Team Member education. The first ones go up on October 1 in our California stores.



Whole Foods Market has publicly stated its support of California’s Proposition 37 (http://media.wholefoodsmarket.com/ne...proposition-37).
We are not offering a financial donation to the effort because we do not contribute to political campaigns or ballot initiatives as a company policy. Instead, we are supporting the effort by helping inform our Team Members and our customer base with “Vote Yes on Prop 37” signs and information booths in our stores. We’re also highlighting and promoting hundreds of Non-GMO products in our stores throughout October to highlight the availability of these products for our customers.

Ideally, we hope the passing of Proposition 37 will lead to one federal standard for labeling GMOs, similar to how the National Organic Standards were formed. One set of rules and uniform support of a consumer’s right to know would be in everyone’s best interests.



Update: We don’t contribute to political campaigns, ballot initiatives, etc. as a policy set by company leadership who recognize that Whole Foods Market represents the viewpoints of a wide variety of customers and other stakeholders. However, we have heard feedback from our customers about finding additional ways to support this important effort and we are currently evaluating what more we can do to help with getting CA Prop 37 passed. Stay tuned.
End

So, Whole Foods Market openly acknowledges that it does sell GMO foods, that it needs to train its employees more thoroughly, and that it does not financially support CA Prop 37 due to political reasons.

Other than suggesting that Whole Foods Market intentionally trains its employees to deceive customers regarding its sale of GMO food, which is speculation on behalf of Organic Spies, it seems the information in the video is otherwise accurate.

[Arrowwind]

I went into Whole foods a couple of years ago and inquired about Canola Oil which they had on their shelves.
I was told by several employees that Canola was not GMO, but was hybrid. I was taken to the main manager to discuss the issue. I did not challenge anyone but only said that I believed it was GMO and I want to talk to their supervisor...
Each employee had the same rap, needless to say I was convinced that they were trained to say what they said
and I felt that they were totally BS. One employee, when discussing it being a hybrid plant, after a few more question,
I realized she didn't even undestand what a hybrid plant was.

So I guess Im an Organic Spy and this is my speculation? guess so. Take it or leave it.

This is what Mike Adams from Natural News Says about it.

http://www.naturalnews.com/029516_canola_oil_fraud.html

The rapeseed plant was genetically modified further to withstand heavy doses of the Monsanto's weed killing herbicide Roundup. Roundup itself is not exactly safe for humans and animals, so the use of a toxin to support a genetically modified plant makes for a dangerous combination.

In addition to the plant having an unpredictable GMO element, the oil is heated to over 300 degrees as part of a process to remove its extremely unpleasant odor. Processing vegetable oils may include degumming, batch acidulation, bleaching, deodorization, chemical extraction methods using solvents, and high temperature expeller pressing

[RunningDeer]

Posted by Arrowwind (here)
I went into Whole foods a couple of years ago and inquired about Canola Oil which they had on their shelves.
I was told by several employees that Canola was not GMO, but was hybrid. I was taken to the main manager to discuss the issue. I did not challenge anyone but only said that I believed it was GMO and I want to talk to their supervisor...
Each employee had the same rap, needless to say I was convinced that they were trained to say what they said
and I felt that they were totally BS. One employee, when discussing it being a hybrid plant, after a few more question,
I realized she didn't even undestand what a hybrid plant was.

So I guess Im an Organic Spy and this is my speculation? guess so. Take it or leave it.

This is what Mike Adams from Natural News Says about it.

http://www.naturalnews.com/029516_canola_oil_fraud.html

The rapeseed plant was genetically modified further to withstand heavy doses of the Monsanto's weed killing herbicide Roundup. Roundup itself is not exactly safe for humans and animals, so the use of a toxin to support a genetically modified plant makes for a dangerous combination.

In addition to the plant having an unpredictable GMO element, the oil is heated to over 300 degrees as part of a process to remove its extremely unpleasant odor. Processing vegetable oils may include degumming, batch acidulation, bleaching, deodorization, chemical extraction methods using solvents, and high temperature expeller pressing

Thank you, Arrowwind. I made the quarterly shopping run to Whole Foods a couple of weeks back. I went to grab a bottle of canola oil on the top shelf with the taller bottles of olive oil. I wondered why it wasn't with all the rest of the smaller ones, just one shelf down. I paid no attention to the a big, Nooooooo! until I reach for it. Again, a big, Nooooooo! I sent a thank you out to the "no police" and went on my way.

[Amysenthia]

Thanks Referee for the great post. I have always felt a big business feel when shopping at Whole Foods. This confirms for me why.

I still love the love a post that was made a while ago by someone, (I'm sorry that I can't remember who, but I so remember the lesson), that related an experience of a NWO elitist shopping and buying only products that have a U in a circle. I have been checking for this whenever I shop and have found this to be very valid. If it does not state that it is Organic any product that I have found that had a U in a circle on it did not contain GMO or even too many other adulterated ingredients.

[ThePythonicCow]

Posted by Amysenthia (here)
I still love the love a post that was made a while ago by someone, (I'm sorry that I can't remember who, but I so remember the lesson), that related an experience of a NWO elitist shopping and buying only products that have a U in a circle. I have been checking for this whenever I shop and have found this to be very valid. If it does not state that it is Organic any product that I have found that had a U in a circle on it did not contain GMO or even too many other adulterated ingredients.

That sounds like this thread: Jim Stone Reveals how to tell if food has been poisoned by Elite

[Amysenthia]

Posted by Paul (here)

Posted by Amysenthia (here)
I still love the love a post that was made a while ago by someone, (I'm sorry that I can't remember who, but I so remember the lesson), that related an experience of a NWO elitist shopping and buying only products that have a U in a circle. I have been checking for this whenever I shop and have found this to be very valid. If it does not state that it is Organic any product that I have found that had a U in a circle on it did not contain GMO or even too many other adulterated ingredients.

That sounds like this thread: Jim Stone Reveals how to tell if food has been poisoned by Elite

That's the post Paul. Thank you so much for helping to give credit for great info presented here. I have been checking any purchases since I read this material and have found it to be absolutely valid. I also didn't purchase things that I use to think were OK based on not having the U in a circle, then researching to find out the even though I may have erroneously thought them to be OK contained unsuitable ingredients.

[Laurel]

Just last week a friend told me that she bought a couple free-range chickens from a small, local organic farm. She complained that the chickens (as well as chickens she's bought from other organic suppliers) were not as tender as the chickens she buys from Whole Foods. I told her to question what Whole Foods is doing to the chickens to make them so tender. Makes you wonder.

[Eram]

very good thread start.

In Holland there is a sweets section in every whole sale store and almost 95% of the sweets aren't sweetened with sugar..... but with High-fructose corn syrup... ahhh
I mean, 10 years ago, one might have caused it to ignorance, but now in 2012... still 95% of the sweets, sweetened with fructose-corn syrup? Smells like dirty infiltration to me.

Most people in the stores don't actually know how bad that stuff is, sad to say.

[RunningDeer]

Posted by A Simple Human (here)
Whole Foods Market has responded to the claims in the Organic Spies YouTube video through its companies blog:

Wow, thanks A Simple Human. I'm just getting to your post. Worked from the bottom and then jumped to the first vid. Seems, I'm part of the problem... There’s still a part of me that says, what do I trust? Some of that and some of this.

Here’s a useful tool: calibrated through muscle testing. I learned from Dr. David Hawkins’ materials. These day, I go with the gut. It’s nice to have a back up for those times when it’s hard to get out of the head. This is a great vid. The gentleman goes over at least 11 techniques and how and when to apply.

I shop mostly the outer isles. Questions come up in regular markets on what’s safe, what’s not. I’m coming to the place where I do the best I can. Continue to live as balanced in mind, body, and spirit, as I can. Don’t buy into negative programs. Otherwise, no matter what quality foods, drinks, holistic approaches used, silly-mind cancels them out.

Self Muscle Testing

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=MiQseSkELQY

https://youtube.com/watch?v=MiQse...eature=related