Whole Foods Market

In 1978, John Mackey and Rene Lawson opened the first Whole Foods Market in Austin, Texas (then called SaferWay) on money they had borrowed from family and friends. Little did they know that almost 30 years later their small town store would grow into an international shopping center with 196 locations in the US and the UK. But the question now is, can this public company who now grosses $5.6 billion annually really keep the values which John Mackey and Rene Lawson started it on?

The Building Blocks
Mackey and Lawson started the store with the idea that the world, specifically the food, around them was becoming unsafe- and they were right. The last 70's was a time of great scientific innovation in the field of processed food, and it was also the time when "factory farms" first got their start. Mackey and Lawson believed that the chemicals put into processed food were harmful, and well as believing that meat coming from factory farming was unhealthy due to the type of feed and medicines the animals were given.
Beyond this Mackey and Lawson also believed in animal rights and human rights, they wanted to sell products they were not in anyway involved in animal cruelty (such as factory farming) and wanted them to be sold by people who were treated well and given a proper wage. They also found it important to buy from local farmers and to support the community around them. Thus started Whole Foods, a concept well ahead of its time.

Today's Whole Foods
Today, Whole Foods continues to sell products that are "natural". (Whole Foods definition of natural is "minimally processed foods that are free of hydrogenated fats as well as artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners and preservatives".) Whole Foods also only sells free range meat, fish, and eggs. It is considered one of the top places to be employed, offering excellent treatment of employees and good wages. And Whole Foods continues to be involved in the community, offering everything from volunteer programs to cooking classes.
While I personally feel that they have done an excellent job of keeping the values the store has started on, I have noticed that they have slipped on one very important issue, and that is buying local. Whole Foods has been criticized quite a bit in the past several years they it may not be as progressive as the image it has created. While Whole Foods is top of the line for organic markets, it has sacrificed local and regional producers to get there.
Whole Foods contends that "regional and store buyers are focused on local products and any unique products necessary to ensure a neighborhood market feel in the stores". It has also said that they have "several full-time employees whose sole duty is to source local products in different regions of the country". However, I have a hard time seeing this when I walk around the produce section a see the majority of produce from out of state or out of the country.

My Advice
Find a local farmers market, even in the city you can usually find one. Get what you can there, and what you can't get go to Whole Foods for. I have no doubt that Whole Foods is the best there is out there right now, but I still think it can do better. Supporting local is one of the most important things you can do (not to mention the food is out of this world when it is that fresh!) So just make two stops instead of one until Whole Foods gets more local on its shelves.