I want to state immediately that Great Stems is not a political blog by any means; it’s a garden blog. Anything political does not provide the mood I want to feel and express in my blog. But this blog isn’t just about gardening – it’s about green, healthy, sustainable living. Many of the people who read this blog are not just gardeners – they are organic gardeners and consumers who are very health conscious and money conscious. And many of them have been long-term Whole Foods shoppers. And it is this reason that I’m writing about yesterday’s article from John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, in the Wall Street Journal. Like many consumers, I’ve been severely let down and disillusioned to the effect that I question whether I’ll be shopping at Whole Foods anymore. This is not a decision made lightly, mind you. And if I, not a political person by any means, am standing up in anger about this article – well, it should tell you something.
In the article, John Mackey has launched a campaign against health-care reform. Surprising, isn’t it, coming from the CEO of a company whose stated values are “caring about our communities and our environment” and whose very consumers are progressive-minded. His article is in direct opposition to the values Whole Foods has claimed to represent. Mackey supports independent healthcare insurance companies that will ultimately deny people care in their most critical of medical situations. He supports high-deductible health insurance plans that only the wealthy can afford. Furthermore, Whole Foods is now using registered lobbyists, including Michael Torrey from both Bush administrations and Stephen Cannon from the Reagan administration.
Responses from outraged consumers on the Whole Foods website were immediate and are almost countless because they continue to grow, and John Mackey’s hypocrisy has in effect started a massive boycott on his own company. He’s alienated the very people that provide his paycheck.
That John Mackey wants to take health care in the opposite direction of reform is just a slap in the face to his consumers and the communities Whole Foods claims to care about. So many people out there have had massive neglect from their insurance companies at times of most critical need, to the point of death. I know others who have gone to other countries for surgery to avoid the high costs of similar treatment here in the U.S. Though my family hasn’t had a similar situation at this point in our lives, we still have seen the problems with our current healthcare system directly, having just this year had to spend $2,500 in hospital and doctor fees for the one-hour visit to the emergency room for an x-ray and a temporary splint for my son’s injured arm (it wasn’t even officially broken; nor do the costs include any of the follow-up care from another doctor). I have other family medical stories, too – but they all boil down to this: medical costs are eating us alive.
In addition to his eight suggested “reforms” in regard to health care, Mackey states: “Unfortunately many of our health-care problems are self-inflicted: two-thirds of Americans are now overweight and one-third are obese. Most of the diseases that kill us and account for about 70% of all health-care spending–heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and obesity–are mostly preventable through proper diet, exercise, not smoking, minimal alcohol consumption and other healthy lifestyle choices”
Yes, Mr. Mackey, that is true. But it costs far more to purchase healthy foods than it does junk food, and your store is one of the most expensive out there. It has earned your company the nickname “Whole Paycheck” rather than “Whole Foods.” Perhaps in addition to healthcare reform we need to look at food reform. As I’m learning now, even the costs of starting one’s own garden is enough to deter people from trying. Well, I might have once complained about the costs of starting a vegetable garden, but if I take the money I would have spent at Whole Foods and put that into my garden – now THAT’s money-wise sustainable living. As one consumer put it, “Perhaps average folks would be able to shop at your stores if they no longer have to pay outrageous sums for crappy insurance coverage.” I’ve been wanting to visit some of the more local markets across the city. So thanks, John Mackey, for steering me their direction.
There are plenty of alternatives to shopping at the home of the chocolate fountain. Find yours, folks..
Co-ops everywhere: http://www.ncga.coop/member-stores
Local Harvest: http://www.localharvest.org/
i was really disappointed by this article as well, but not surprised. i am not a fan of whole foods at all. i don’t believe they support the community like they state, and as far as being green they are definitely just trying to make money off that “niche.” they are building one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, store/corporate office buildings in dallas and whenever they decide to change something they just have things torn down and thrown away. not recycling any of the building materials nor using any recycled materials or sustainable building practices at all. i cannot say how i know this, but trust me it’s from a reliable source and not just speculation. really makes me angry too that their prices are so incredibly high as well. i know i cannot afford to shop there, i honestly don’t know anyone who actually does on a regular basis. when i lived in hawaii, i worked for one of 2 natural food stores on the island. our’s was the most popular. i can tell you that the owners ate at the golden arches almost everyday, said the only reason they even started the store was because it was an untapped money maker on the island and hated buying from local farmers. they paid us very little and did nothing to support the community. one of the owners said after reading about whole foods and talking to people who knew these guys, he realized how easy it would be to make a ton of money off “people’s obsession with health”…so i for one do support a boycott of whole foods and really support shopping locally as much as possible. co-ops are an excellent resource in my mind..;)
That is upsetting. People are really cashing in on people wanting to be green — even the chemical companies are putting out “green” products that aren’t environmentally sound at all. And how ridiculous that Whole Foods doesn’t practice green building. Well, I’m learning. Even when I did shop at Whole Foods, it amounted to only once a month or once every couple of months, never a regular thing. In viewing the comments on their forum, I was amazed at how people were spending up to a thousand dollars a month there.
Were you aware Mackey was discovered to be using a pseudonym when posting on a Yahoo stock message board several years ago? Apparently he was posting as, Rahodeb, and bashing a competitor, Wild Oats, at the very time Whole Foods was seeking to acquire that company. Here is an article from MSN Money if you’re interested.
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/WebScandalHitsWholeFoods.aspx
Were you aware Mackey was discovered to be using a pseudonym when posting on a Yahoo stock message board several years ago? Apparently he was posting as, Rahodeb, and bashing a competitor, Wild Oats, at the very time Whole Foods was seeking to acquire that company. Here is an article from MSN Money if you’re interested.
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/WebScandalHitsWholeFoods.aspx
No, I didn’t know that, ugh. How awful. I get incensed about sneaky business practices like that.
He talks about a lot of modern disease being preventible by proper diet, but he doesn’t mention that the same government that wants to change the healthcare system also is actively engaged in making it more and more difficult to eat real, good food. Subsidizing sugar, harassing small farmers, raiding farmers markets – THIS is improving health in America? Makes me sick!
I don’t know, I’m kind of torn. On one hand I would rather be supporting local growers and buying from a co-op if that was available in my area. I do so whenever possible and affordable. Mackey may not be representative of his customers but he’s also not representative of my local Whole Foods employees. When you boycott a store you’re only barely making a difference to those with the biggest pockets and are doing most harm to those employees who bake your bread, stack your produce, and bag your groceries. I love my Whole Foods employees and I like to go visit them and chat them up. I also cannot deny that the employees that work there are better trained, friendlier, more courteous, and more forward thinking than any other grocery store in my area.
I say speak out about Mackey. Write letters, make phone calls, and make him accountable to his companies board of directors.
There are definitely some really nice people who work at Whole Foods, and my choosing not to shop there anymore is not meant to hurt them or associate them with Mackey. But continuing to shop there for me is like supporting the CEO, especially when I learn more about him. It’s not like he’s doing things just as a rich individual — he’s doing it with the weight of Whole Foods behind him, and then there are the bad business practices that one shouldn’t overlook either. Whole Foods money is being spent against health care reform and Obama. There are a few ingredients that I suspect I’ll have to buy there from time to time due to urgency, but it’s a good time for me to explore other options (and learn to plan ahead) as I’ve been meaning to for a long time, and I certainly don’t need to pay those high costs on a regular basis. I don’t want to have the thought that some of my money went to support something that I wholeheartedly disagree with and hurts my family and others in the long run.
I don’t see why you would avoid going to the store though. Last time I checked they still had a lot of free samples!
I know someone who just goes for lunch occasionally, on them.
Haha, true that.
Check out the blog of Punk Gardener. She’s in Austin, very political, but most important talks about the local farmers markets and where they are. It’s a good read, you’ll like it. Bob
Thanks for the excellent idea — I’m looking through it now. Punk Gardener has very interesting reads and links.
This is a good link:
http://michaelbluejay.com/misc/wholefoods.html