We know that more people visited upscale grocery chain Whole Foods in the weeks after it became part of Amazon’s growing online and offline retail empire, but where did those people come from? Customer data shows that new visitors to Whole Foods stores were likely to be the wealthiest customers from competitors like Walmart, Costco, and Trader Joe’s. [More]
health food
Amazon Seller Offering Expensive, Potentially Contaminated Soy Butter 6 Months After Recall
By 9.6.17
When a product has been recalled and disappears from store shelves, that includes virtual store shelves. Yet jars of I.M. Healthy’s recalled soy butter, a peanut butter substitute, were available from a third-party seller on Amazon’s site last week, meaning that customers could potentially get a large helping of E. coli along with their sandwiches. [More]
Whole Foods Cutting 1,500 Jobs In Order To Offer Customers Lower Prices
By 9.28.15
Your next shopping trip to Whole Foods may come with a bit less interaction with employees, as the health food chain said Monday that it would be eliminating approximately 1,500 jobs in order to offer lower prices for its goods. [More]
Every Regular Grocery Store Is Already A Downmarket Whole Foods
By 5.14.15
The idea of a lower-priced version of Whole Foods aimed at younger consumers is intriguing, but there’s already a hugely popular downmarket alternative to Whole Foods for people seeking natural and organic groceries. It’s called Walmart. [More]
FDA To Health Food Companies: The Word ‘Healthy’ Has An Actual Meaning
By 4.14.15
Kind bars are quite tasty, but are they healthy? Sure, they’re made from ostensibly healthy ingredients like nuts and dried fruit, but some bars also have ingredients like chocolate and peanut butter. The Food and Drug Administration sent the company a warning letter about their use of the word “healthy” to describe their snacks on the label. [More]
There’s Another Possible Payment Data Breach At Natural Grocers
By 3.3.15
Apparently, natural foods stores are ready to compete with the big grocery chains. No, not on price–Natural Grocers, a small chain of about 93 stores in 15 states that’s based in Colorado has decided to compete with the big chains by possibly having a payment data breach of its very own. This is not the kind of corporate milestone that a growing chain would celebrate. [More]
Chia Pet Makers Now Selling Jars Of Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia Seeds
By 7.11.14
Chia seeds are a hot food item now, but Joseph Enterprises was ahead of its time. They put chia seeds in millions of American homes starting three decades ago. Of course, there’s one key difference: we were all smearing those seeds on the exterior of a terra cotta animal, not sprinkling them on top of our breakfast granola. Until now. [More]
Nestle Makes Deal To Buy Brain And Liver Cells For Nutrition Research
By 1.8.14
Yesterday, the news broke that Nestle, the Swiss food superconglomerate, made a deal to obtain lab-grown human brain and liver cells from Cellular Dynamics International. What’s this all about? Are they going to incorporate the cells in a new “Nestlé Crunch with Brains” candy bar for zombies with a sweet tooth? No, the truth is more mundane than that, but still kind of creepy. [More]
My Health Insurer’s Idea Of ‘Healthy’ Food Is Mayonnaise And Ice Cream
By 5.15.13
Should our health insurers try to nudge us toward the healthiest habits possible, like eating fresh, healthy food and exercising regularly? Or should they just give up, accept Americans’ crappy habits and hope that we do less healthy versions of unhealthy things, like eating giant plates of whole-wheat pasta? Reader Scott wonders whether that’s what his health insurance company, Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, is up to with a package of coupons that they sent recently. [More]
Mystery Solved: Why Walmart Thinks A Bottle Of Sprite Is A ‘Meal’
By 4.18.13
On Monday, we shared a reader-submitted photo of a shelf of two-liter soda bottles with some baffling signs. Coke, Sprite, and their diet varieties were declared “Wholesome, Healthy, and Delicious” and “Easy convenient meals.” Delicious and convenient, maybe, but they certainly aren’t wholesome, healthy, or meals. But reader Mindy snapped this picture at Walmart yesterday that might explain where the “meals” shelf tag came from. [More]
Soda At Walmart Is Wholesome, Healthy, Delicious, Or One Out Of Three
By 4.15.13
Reader Kathy sent along this photo that she took at Walmart. She found this display kind of puzzling, and for good reason. “Seriously? So suddenly soda is ‘wholesome and healthy’?” she writes. “Yeah right… good one, Walmart.” [More]
Olive Oil ‘For Kids’ Is Apparently A Thing
By 5.22.12 — Updated: 11.20.13
Marketing material for Zoe brand organic extra virgin olive oil targeted at kids brags that it is “at the forefront of the burgeoning children’s health food market.” While it’s good news that there is food targeted at children that doesn’t contain alarming shades of food dye, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, or even “cheez,” it’s still Olive Oil For Kids, and we’re still going to snicker at it. [More]
Foods That May Help Keep You Cancer-Free
By 1.2.12
Everything you put into your body has some effect on your health and well-being. Some foods are believed to lower the risk of cancer. While there’s nothing you can eat that will insure you don’t get sick, you can stack the odds in your favor by adjusting your diet. [More]
How To Eat Cheaply And Healthily
By 9.9.11
It’s easy enough to spend as little money as possible on food. A diet consisting of ramen and dollar menu items will accomplish that feat. Higher-quality food that’s actually good for you tends to cost more, but with some creativity and effort you can spend little while maintaining a healthy diet. [More]
Whole Grain Wheat Thins Are No Healthier Than Regular Ones
By 8.4.10
Here’s a perfect example of why you should ignore what’s on the front of a product package and go straight to the nutritional info instead. Kraft’s Wheat Thins now come in a “100% Whole Grain” variety, which you might think translates into more fiber for your digestive tract. It even says on the front that one serving packs 22g of whole grain versus 11g for regular Wheat Thins. It turns out, however, that both crackers provide the same amount of dietary fiber and fat–and the whole grain version also has more sodium and is made with high fructose corn syrup. [More]
Whole Foods CEO Spurs Boycott With Health Care Views
By 8.15.09
Memo to Whole Foods CEO John Mackey: when much of your customer base consists of reusable-bag-using, wheatgrass-munching “progressive” types, it’s probably not such a good idea to publish an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal criticizing current health care reform proposals. At least if you don’t want said customers organizing boycotts of your stores.
If This Juice Is Made From Strawberries, Where's The Naturally Occurring Vitamin C?
By 6.12.09
John read our post yesterday about Naked Juice‘s decision to remove vitamins and herbal stuff from some of their product line, and forwarded us a response he got from the company a month ago. His question: if Strawberry Kiwi Kick contains 14 strawberries, why does the nutritional label say it contains 0% vitamin C? The answer is a good reminder of the difference between fresh food and food that’s been processed, conveniently packaged, and wrapped up in some healthy-looking branding.
Mott's Will Help You Water Down Your Juice If You Like
By 9.9.08
Here’s a perfect example of why you should always approach “healthy” labeling on food products with a skeptical eye. Summer did a quick side-by-side comparison of regular Mott’s apple juice with new Mott’s Plus Light. What she found was that except for a few added vitamins, the Light product was just Mott’s juice diluted by 50% with water—but selling for the same price as the 100% juice.
