Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology Online

Extract

Whole Foods Market (WFM) is the world's largest retailer specializing in natural and organic foods. The chain began with one store in Austin, Texas in 1980, and by 2008 had over 270 locations – mainly in the United States, with a handful of locations operating in Canada and the United Kingdom. Since the meaning of terms like “natural” and “organic” are broadly contested, it is important to be more specific about what WFM sells: the stores carry a wide range of USDA-certified organic foods, the chain is the country's only certified organic grocer, and their own literature states that they do not sell products containing harmful additives, artificial colors, preservatives, sweeteners, and hydrogenated fats (WFM 2008a). A WFM quality standards team maintains a list of chemicals that are banned from the store, and meat benchmark standards specify that meats are produced without antibiotics, growth hormones, or under inhumane conditions (e.g., no beak trimming for broiler chickens).The WFM slogan is “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet.” In keeping with this motto, the firm promotes itself as a progressive capitalist enterprise with innovative policies on the environment (e.g., not offering plastic bags, buying wind energy credits), community involvement (e.g., offering micro-loans to local producers and rural communities in the Global South) and labor relations (e.g., executive ... log in or subscribe to read full text