Over at his blog Chews Wise, Samuel Fromartz has the first part of a long interview with Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, alternately known as anonymous poster Rahodeb. (The SEC recently ended its investigation of Mackey, who was caught posting comments about Whole Foods and Wild Oats on a Yahoo! site, without filing charges.)
I’d keep an eye out for the interview’s second part, which Fromartz says will touch on meat and seafood sourcing and on local food, but among the interesting bits here: Mackey says that if he could go back in time, he wouldn’t acquire Wild Oats again. “We spent tens of millions of dollars in legal fees, we’ve been investigated [the FTC filed a complaint to block the merger, but a federal appeals court ruled for Whole Foods], it’s been highly disruptive. I didn’t realize it would cause so much grief,” Mackey says.
Contrary to the FTC’s line, Mackey insists that Whole Foods has more competition than ever before: He cites a half dozen examples (including, semihilariously, farmers’ markets). But against my better instincts, I’ve got to admit he’s right. The natural/organic food market is far more crowded than it used to be. Any thoughts from the Grinder gallery?
its true. every time i go to whole foods its very crowded. thats why they have those tiny little carts.
More crowding, please!
It’s not that I like being groped. It’s just that the organic “section” in our grocery store here in the TX panhandle is maybe one yard of produce. It includes greens, apples and oranges and, on lucky days, bananas.
I’m also concerned that Whole Foods and others like it emphasize the impact of organically-grown food on individual health of the consumers with enough money to buy it, but don’t consider the environmental impacts on workers or people who live where food is grown, processed and shipped. “Organic” kiwis flown in daily from the antipode are NOT the reason I want organic. A planet that’s healthier for the people and other living things on it is.