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Whole Foods Rant
May 20, 2008
Whole Foods is in the process of opening a second store in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ann Arbor has a population of 100,000 or so; 200,000 if you get generous and include the surrounding areas.
Oklahoma City has zero Whole Foods stores. OKC has a population of 550,000; 1,000,000 if you include the metro.
Whole Foods is based in Austin, Texas; 8 hours from OKC and about 20 hours from Ann Arbor.
Where’s the love? We like good, wholesome, organic, healthy food here too. Sucks that one state law is standing in the way, or so I’m led to believe.
Posted by paul at May 20, 2008 11:14 PM
Comments
Murph said on May 21, 2008 10:35 AMWhole Foods? You can have them and their union-busting, food-mislabeling, audit-refusing, smug "corporate citizenship". I intend not to set foot in one until, oh, sometime after my next trip to WalMart.
Besides, why do you need them? Don't you have a food co-op and at least two farmers' markets in the area?
Okay, but, rantiness about WF aside, I'm curious - what's the state law in question?
Murph said on May 21, 2008 10:37 AMThat would have been more effective with the actual links, wouldn't it?
* http://www.oklahomafood.coop/
Paul said on May 21, 2008 07:22 PM* http://www.osuokc.edu/farmersmarket/
* http://www.okcfarmersmarket.com/
Food-mislabeling and audit-refusing? I hadn't heard that - do tell.
We do have a co-op, but I'm not too keen on the man who runs it. As for the Farmer's Markets... I have to drive at least 15 minutes to hit either of them, unless it's the Wednesday one downtown, which I tend to miss because it's during work.
The state law in question refuses wine sales in grocery stores. People are trying to eliminate it, but our liquor wholesale lobby controls the legislature. I even saw one quote from a liquor wholesaler saying that it's for the public good, because people shouldn't buy wine at a grocery store where people can't answer questions... It's a big sham.
Murph said on May 25, 2008 04:35 PMAh, the liquor lobby. Everyone's best friend.
Maybe two years ago, I saw a (print) article on an audit done of various "natural" /
"organic" / "hormone-free" labels on dairy products - essentially a paper records audit, since, as I understand it, there's not a measurable chemical difference. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods' in-house dairy brands refused to participate. I can't immediately find a link online, though.
As far as mislabeling, I've personally seen cases of produce where the origin labeling / "flavor text" on the sign for the produce doesn't match the stickers or labels attached to the produce itself. Could easily have been sloppy stocking, where the produce changed and the sign didn't, but it doesn't give me much faith the system.
So neither of these are damning, peer-reviewed critiques, but enough to turn me off.