The earliest use of the term”whole foods” was in a 1946 issue of “The Farmer,” a quarterly magazine published and edited from his farm by F. Newman Turner, a pioneering British organic farmer who used the periodical to sponsor the creation of the Producer Consumer Whole Food Society Ltd. He defined whole foods as the "mature produce of field, orchard, or garden without subtraction, addition, or alteration grown from seed without chemical dressing, in fertile soil manured solely with animal and vegetable wastes, and composts therefrom, and ground, raw rock and without chemical manures, sprays, or insecticides. In 1978 John Mackey and Renee Lawson opened a small vegetarian natural foods store called SaferWay in Austin, Texas; two years later they merged with Craig Weller and Mark Skiles’ Clarksville Natural Grocery, resulting in the opening of the original Whole Foods Market. Beginning in 1984 the store expanded out of Austin and began acquiring similar establishments throughout the US as well as seafood processing plants. Mackey has insisted that “there’s no inherent reason why business cannot be ethical, socially responsible, and profitable." The company donates at least 5% of its annual net profits to charitable causes. In 1999 it joined the Marine Stewardship Council, a global independent, not-for-profit organization promoting sustainable fisheries and responsible fishing practices worldwide. The US Environmental Protection Agency named the firm as the second-highest purchaser of green power nationwide, with all of its energy needs supplied from biomass, geothermal, small-hydro, solar, and wind sources. In 2005 the company created the Animal Compassion Foundation to assist meat producers to raise animals naturally and humanely, and it refused to market ducks that had its feathers pulled when alive, bill trimming, bill heat treatment, toe punching, slitting the webs of the feet, toe removal, treated with antibiotics or antimicrobials, cloned, genetically modified, or not allowed medical treatment. After 2006 it stopped selling baby bottles and children’s cups made with Bisphenol A, an organic synthetic compound with estrogen-mimicking, hormone-like properties. In 2015, the company announced a more affordable version of its regular stores called "365 By Whole Foods Market," which would use digital price tags, a smartphone app for most in-store communication, and a zero waste policy; all leftover food would be donated to the needy. In reviewing the new retail format, “The Motley Fool” said the 365 was "closer to a combination of a fruit stand, convenience store, and a restaurant than a traditional grocery store," and “MarketWatch” called the stores "hipster havens." However, the firm was acquired by Amazon.com in 2017.
Organic Food -- Leon Zernitsky
The earliest use of the term”whole foods” was in a 1946 issue of “The Farmer,” a quarterly magazine published and edited from his farm by F. Newman Turner, a pioneering British organic farmer who used the periodical to sponsor the creation of the Producer Consumer Whole Food Society Ltd. He defined whole foods as the "mature produce of field, orchard, or garden without subtraction, addition, or alteration grown from seed without chemical dressing, in fertile soil manured solely with animal and vegetable wastes, and composts therefrom, and ground, raw rock and without chemical manures, sprays, or insecticides. In 1978 John Mackey and Renee Lawson opened a small vegetarian natural foods store called SaferWay in Austin, Texas; two years later they merged with Craig Weller and Mark Skiles’ Clarksville Natural Grocery, resulting in the opening of the original Whole Foods Market. Beginning in 1984 the store expanded out of Austin and began acquiring similar establishments throughout the US as well as seafood processing plants. Mackey has insisted that “there’s no inherent reason why business cannot be ethical, socially responsible, and profitable." The company donates at least 5% of its annual net profits to charitable causes. In 1999 it joined the Marine Stewardship Council, a global independent, not-for-profit organization promoting sustainable fisheries and responsible fishing practices worldwide. The US Environmental Protection Agency named the firm as the second-highest purchaser of green power nationwide, with all of its energy needs supplied from biomass, geothermal, small-hydro, solar, and wind sources. In 2005 the company created the Animal Compassion Foundation to assist meat producers to raise animals naturally and humanely, and it refused to market ducks that had its feathers pulled when alive, bill trimming, bill heat treatment, toe punching, slitting the webs of the feet, toe removal, treated with antibiotics or antimicrobials, cloned, genetically modified, or not allowed medical treatment. After 2006 it stopped selling baby bottles and children’s cups made with Bisphenol A, an organic synthetic compound with estrogen-mimicking, hormone-like properties. In 2015, the company announced a more affordable version of its regular stores called "365 By Whole Foods Market," which would use digital price tags, a smartphone app for most in-store communication, and a zero waste policy; all leftover food would be donated to the needy. In reviewing the new retail format, “The Motley Fool” said the 365 was "closer to a combination of a fruit stand, convenience store, and a restaurant than a traditional grocery store," and “MarketWatch” called the stores "hipster havens." However, the firm was acquired by Amazon.com in 2017.
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