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I don't get it either, and I like to eat. Overpriced to the point that people refer to the stores as "Whole Paycheck." Some of the stuff is downright wierd, but I will go in for a quick shot of chocolate mousse or some special item, but not as a grocery store.
The lobbyists for big agri biz have done their magic with the FDA to the point that labels like "organic" and "free range" and "natural" don't mean a darned thing, so I won't pay for the huge market for it.
Here's the story on "Free Range" chicken, as explained in the book "Omnivore's Dilemma:" Re, weakened food standards, author Pollan explains the official government definition for a "free range chicken" got watered down to mean "access" to being able to range around freely. In practice, here's how it works: The chickens have a life of 8 weeks from hatching to slaughter. The first 5-6 weeks they are LOCKED up in those big chicken houses (no free ranging) to keep them from contracting a disease (if one gets sick, they have to kill all 20,000 in the coop). Then, for the last 2-3 weeks of their short lives, they unlock what amounts to a "doggie-door" at one end of the coop, and any chicken that wants to leave the coop to go run around outside can do so, but few ever do as it isn't natural for them to leave the food and water of the coop to run around in the dirt outside. "Free Range" means nothing to me and I won't pay for it.
Agreed mostly, but not all "free range" farms are like that you described.
And I am not trying to defend anything as we have a vegan home anyway.
Actually, free range tastes a lot better. Why? Because of what the chickens eat. I have a standing joke with the guys at the Whole Foods meat counter. The reason that free range vegetarian chicken costs so much more is because they have to pay people to follow the chickens around taking the bugs and mice and such out of their beaks to keep them vegetarian. (Yes, I know that the "vegetarian" in free range vegetarian chicken refers to the feed given to them; it's a joke.)
There is no such thing as a vegetarian free range chicken. They eat everything, and they get a variety of grasses and herbs and seeds, and it makes the meat taste MUCH better.
The eggs are remarkably better from true free range hens, as well. When my daughter moved out and got her own apartment, a couple of weeks later she called and said, "Mom, could you please bring me some real eggs?" And this was even buying the cage free eggs available at the grocery store.
I SWEAR, I was ready to message you and explain until I saw the joke, OMG, LOL.
Anyway, I think that most people just care that the chickens are not being fed ground up horse or cattle or other chicken insides. Mice and bugs are fair game.
Whole Foods is just one of many places I go to shop, including Trader Joes, Safeway, and Raleys. It's too easy to fall into a rut when you only go one place and see the same things all the time. I get to Whole Foods probably once a month or less, and I don't buy much, but they do have a few things that nobody else does and I like treating myself sometimes. Plus I can sample soups and cheese and even get a chair massage if I'm in the mood
We are fortunate enough to live near to a working small farm. We can get "natural" anything we want. I get eggs and tomatoes from them, and the occasional chicken (I can't always make my hands work to pluck and clean them.) They also sell quarters of beef - which is really nice!
As my Ol' Curmudgeon doesn't "do" weird veggies (very picky eater - not nearly as "adventurous" as he thinks he is), there is little purpose in driving 15 miles to Whole Foods when Kroger, Publix, Ingles and the aforementioned farm are all less than 5 miles away from us.
There are no Whole Foods stores where I live and I have never been to one. I can't wait to go. I have 2 daughters who are vegan by birth... they have genetic medical condition where they cannot eat protein. The Whole Foods stores as well as Traders Joe's are said to have a nice selection of low protein foods.
The rest of our food comes from Wal-Mart.... as cheap as can be found.
Stores are not there for people who "get it" or "don't get it".
They are there to serve people who enjoy shopping there and buy their goods.
Please learn to be respectful to other people's choices, whether you "get it" or not.
You "don't get" people who buy stuff there?! Many people "don't get" others who want to buy and eat hormone/preservatives/artificial/chemical stuff at cheap (quality-wise, not necessarily cost-wise) stores.
And before someone says they "don't get" my post, for the record, I am not a vegetarian or vegan, I am just a respectful person.
It is simply not a matter of you "getting it" or not. If you don't like it, save yourself the inconvenience and don't go to any store which you "don't get".
Whole Foods is fun, but I do find them too overpriced to be a real option for me. I only really go to check out the cheeses, wines, or more "gourmet"-type stuff. I don't really care about organic, especially since words like "Organic" or "All Natural" on packaging really don't mean anything, but if you are into it or are vegan/vegetarian I can see why you'd go to Whole Foods more. Trader Joe's, on the other hand, is where I do most of my shopping. It's smaller, but tends to be cheaper or on par with other grocery stores around here. Also, I tend to eat healthier when I go there since I'm not as distracted and just buy meat, dairy, and produce instead of heavily processed items.
As other people mentioned, there's really not much to "get". Whole Foods/Wild Oats is a store that focuses on premium and gourmet items. If you don't like that sort of thing, then there's not much reason to go. If you do like it, then it's a great store.
I "don't get" why a store named Whole Foods sells so many processed foods.
Profit.
WF has changed over the years.
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