In 1978, John Mackey and Renee Lawson borrowed $45,000 from family and friends to open a small vegetarian … See more

Whole Foods Market sells only products that meet its self-created quality standards for being "natural," which the store defines as minimally processed foods that are free of hydrogenated fats as well as artificial flavors… See more

Whole Foods Market has developed several in-store rating systems for various departments to allow their customers full transparency in purchasing. The Seafood department has a Sustainability Rating System for … See more

Whole Foods Market has announced plans to provide its customers GMO (genetically modified organism) product labeling by 2018. Efforts of GMO transparency run the gamut of each department. For years, Non-GMO Proje… See more

Whole Foods Market purchases products for retail sale from local, regional, and international wholesale suppliers and vendors. Most purchasing occurs at the regional and national levels to negotiate volume dis… See more

Whole Foods Market has a policy of donating at least five percent of its annual net profits to charitable causes. Some of this mandate is accomplished through store-level donations held on certain "5% days" throu… See more

Whole Foods Market is considered anti-labor by most worker organizations, and it has been criticized that its products may not be as progressive as they are touted to be. Author Michael Pollan has contended that the su… See more