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Could it be that Whole Foods is putting its money where its mouth is? A few years ago, I accused the chain of hypocritically preaching healthy eating while profiting from the sale of junk food:
“Two-Bite Pecan Tarts" in a plastic tub and prepackaged chicken quesadillas are very, very, very bad for you. Yes, even if they contain organic ingredients. It’s hard to buy Whole Foods’ we-love-healthy-eating shtick when a lot of its profits are made off stuff like this.
Well, well, well. Over the past four months, Whole Foods has somewhat quietly opened a string of gymlike clubs that aim to radically transform members into paragons of healthy eating. Called Wellness Clubs, they exist inside Whole Foods grocery stores in five cities (New York; Chicago; Dedham, Massachusetts; Princeton, New Jersey; and Oakland, California). For $130 (prices may vary by region, or if a particular club is running a special), members have access for three months to daily cooking demonstrations, nutrition and fitness classes, 10 percent discounts on certain healthy products, and reduced admission to a weekly all-you-can-eat dinner called the “supper club.”
To help Wellness Club members adhere to their new healthy diets, there are free weekly support groups, as well as a special seating area where members can “build community” during their weekly dinners.
When I visited the Oakland Wellness Club recently and took a handful of classes, I was shocked at how hardcore the message was. Developed by doctors trained at Dr. McDougall's Health and Medical Center, the curriculum espouses a vegan diet with no added salt or oil. In a class called “The skinny on FATS,” a large portion of the lecture was devoted to slamming both olive oil and nuts for being fat devils in disguise. Later, I watched a chef “sauté” an onion with water to avoid adding extra fat to a vegan stew. If used at all, meat and dairy should be treated “as a condiment,” said Wellness Club instructors, and bread should be eaten only sparingly and in whole-grain form.
Whoah! First, I agree with all this stuff, even if I aspire to healthy eating more than live it (beer, chocolate, bagels and cream cheese, and tacos are all part of my usual weekly diet). But I’m not the majority of Americans, just as I’m not Whole Foods, which makes a lot of money selling exactly the kinds of things its Wellness Clubs are now telling Americans to avoid. Is it possible that Whole Foods is actually trying to do some good, just for the purpose of ... helping people?
In the past, Whole Foods didn’t offer much guidance for customers seeking advice on nutrition, says David Lannon, head of the chain’s healthy eating program and president for the Northern California region. Now, Lannon says, the company has decided to take on obesity, strokes, high blood pressure, cancer, and other diseases of Western excess by educating customers about how to eat.
That’s so nice of them! But what about the fact that most of the company's money comes from sales of meat, wine, fancy cheeses, frozen foods, and other high-ticket items not encouraged at the Wellness Clubs?
“Whole Foods maybe only appeals to 20 percent of the overall population, but a higher percentage of people might come in to eat healthy foods because they see people lowering their cholesterol and losing weight,” says Lannon.
So the idea is for the Wellness Clubs to create an army of Whole Foods evangelists who will recruit new customers with their shiny new healthiness? Some of those shoppers will be buying more wholesome, less expensive stuff, but there will be more new customers overall, or something like that.
Judging from the underattended Wellness Club classes I experienced in Oakland, Whole Foods has yet to see that expected rush of new, health-seeking customers. (In the fats class, I was the sole member.) But Lannon says the program is on track, with “up over 100 members each.” The plan is to roll out a club in every major city, and launch a virtual program next year.
I’m keeping my eye on this curious program. Will it end up being dumbed down to appeal to a mass audience, or will Whole Foods decide to ditch its fancy cheese departments to help fight cancer? I’m kidding.
Lessley Anderson is CHOW's senior manager of content. Follow her on Twitter @lessleyanderson. Follow us @CHOW.
Image source: Oakland Wellness Club courtesy of Whole Foods Market.
If they are passing off quackery (no olive oil, etc.) as proper nutrition, they will eliminate any customer with a shred of intelligence.
By their new policy they may push away another group of customers who belong to the growing Paleo-movement and also buy organic and natural products. That group buys full-fat dairy and meat and consider all grains unhealthy and Dr. McDuggall an idiot who promotes an unnatural eating, which makes people unhealthy and miserable . It is unwise for the Whole-food management to pick a side and choose...+READ
By their new policy they may push away another group of customers who belong to the growing Paleo-movement and also buy organic and natural products. That group buys full-fat dairy and meat and consider all grains unhealthy and Dr. McDuggall an idiot who promotes an unnatural eating, which makes people unhealthy and miserable . It is unwise for the Whole-food management to pick a side and choose one group of their customers over another one. The only practical reason why they may do it - vegetarians have more potential to buy any organic crap made without harming animals while paleos shop the perimeter of the store.-COLLAPSE
The really unhealthy thing about Whole Foods is the way they treat their employees. (My husband worked at the South St. Philadelphia store.) First, workers in this country have a legal right to form unions, but Whole Foods not only doesn't respect this right but will use ANY means necessary to keep workers from organizing. As far as anti-union corporations they are right up in the top tier with...+READ
The really unhealthy thing about Whole Foods is the way they treat their employees. (My husband worked at the South St. Philadelphia store.) First, workers in this country have a legal right to form unions, but Whole Foods not only doesn't respect this right but will use ANY means necessary to keep workers from organizing. As far as anti-union corporations they are right up in the top tier with Wal-Mart. This is an incredibly hypocritical corporation; they claim to be about health and environmental concerns but that doesn't include their workers. They have a cult-like jargon that sounds as if the ideas of the workers count but that's just window dressing. They do offer some benefits but not very good considering how big and profitable Whole Foods is, and the company constantly whines and moans about the cost of the benefits they do offer. Their business model is based on hiring perky young people who aren't going to stay around very long, and at the store where my husband worked there seemed to be a pattern of getting rid of older workers. If your holistic worldview includes human rights then DO NOT shop at Whole Foods.-COLLAPSE
I wouldn't waste money on a class like that. Fat is not the enemy. And unless you are a vegetarian/vegan, neither are meats, fish and poultry. Condiments indeed!
Illogical argument to say Whole Foods would have to go to the EXTREME of eliminating ALL foods with POSSIBLE, POTENTIAL, negative health ramifications, DEPENDING ON YOUR USE OF THEM... in order to have credibility when talking health.
Keep the cheese department Whole Foods. Humanity has a long and storied history of eating natural unprocessed cheese and staying healthy.
These "Wellness Clubs" also sell you on homeopathy. It's just more stupid marketing.
(I don't resent Whole Foods for selling treats -- at least they're not packed full of trans fats, and I don't think that a healthy diet consists of all kale and tofu. It is possible to eat very, very badly on a 100% organic, vegetarian diet, for example, but it's also a mistake to go through life with no...+READ
These "Wellness Clubs" also sell you on homeopathy. It's just more stupid marketing.
(I don't resent Whole Foods for selling treats -- at least they're not packed full of trans fats, and I don't think that a healthy diet consists of all kale and tofu. It is possible to eat very, very badly on a 100% organic, vegetarian diet, for example, but it's also a mistake to go through life with no indulgences. I think they need to "atone" more for selling idiocy like homeopathy.)-COLLAPSE
Lessley, I imagine you eating a bowl of salad and tsk, tsking over the paleness of the lettuce (What idiot sells lettuce that isn't bright green! Who let the ignorant clown in the kitchen purchase this junk?)
By the the time I got to the 'keeping my eye on this curious program' line, I was rolling MY eyes!
It's a real hoot to read that Whole Foods has to 'atone' for anything. Thanks for the...+READ
Lessley, I imagine you eating a bowl of salad and tsk, tsking over the paleness of the lettuce (What idiot sells lettuce that isn't bright green! Who let the ignorant clown in the kitchen purchase this junk?)
By the the time I got to the 'keeping my eye on this curious program' line, I was rolling MY eyes!
It's a real hoot to read that Whole Foods has to 'atone' for anything. Thanks for the giggle.-COLLAPSE
I went to one class when the opened. The dish they made, a pasta with a roasted pepper sauce was OK. But I was thinking this would be pretty good with some salt and a splash of olive oil. Ooops.
Lessley, you are such a terrific writer. When I got to well, well, well, I cracked up.
I was surprised to see 'Whole Foods' and 'atone' in the same sentence. What did they do wrong that they have to atone for? I have always equated Whole Foods with healthy eating because of their high quality produce. Sure they offer non-healthy foods (beer, chocolate, bagels), but they also sell toilet paper. And? So? They are by no means the worst offenders.
I'm surprised at their drastic take on healthy eating! Besides the fact that the suggested diet sounds pretty miserable, it seems to be so extremist that it would scare away most shoppers. The group they're targeting (people who are interested in low-fat veganism) is so tiny - I'm not surprised you were the only one in the class!