Boycott Whole Foods

categories: Action, Corporate Kneebiters, Health

Published August 19, 2009 @ 12:40PM PT

I've been looking the other way for a long time each time I go to Whole Foods, aka Whole Paycheck. I mean, I already know that they profit off of creating an image of sustainability- mixing organic produce with conventional. I know that the CEO John Mackey is a libertarian who opposes labor unions (none of the Whole Foods are union), and in general opposes most the ideals I fight for in my life. But, Whole Foods make my shopping pretty easy and made it easy for me to check my values at the door.

But, no more.

It is one thing to disagree with a CEO like John Mackey. Fine. We all have different politics. But, its another thing when he is taking his money and influence to fight against everything I believe in. And, right now we are a critical tipping point on health care, and the need for a public health care option.

John Mackey decided to tke the politics of the teabaggers and make them acceptable for the Wall Street crowd last week in the Wall Street Journal.. He started by throwing out the "socialism" charge at President Obama and then goes onto to argue for Health Savings Accounts, deregulation, and getting rid of insurance companies from being able to discriminate against medical conditions. Oh, and he throws in as well, people are fat so that is why we have a health care problem ( solution- shop at Whole Foods, duh!).

Mackey argues against the public option with: "While we clearly need health-care reform, the last thing our country needs is a massive new health-care entitlement that will create hundreds of billions of dollars of new unfunded deficits and move us much closer to a government takeover of our health-care system"

And that is where he lost me, and my whole paycheck. We need a strong public option. We need to be able to have a system that can compete with the massive insurance industry. Our small businesses, including small scare organic farmers, need real health insurance reform.

I am for a sustainable food system and I believe a important key is looking to make sure all the players up the chain are supported. Which means- we need to make sure workers are paid well ( ahem- EFCA), that farmers and employees on farms can buy health insurance ( ahem- public option), and that the companies we buy from support our values for real, not just market our values back to us.

So, I am taking my money to the farmers markets, UFCW organized grocery stores, and smaller natural food stores. I hope you follow suit.

If you're on facebook, you can join the Boycott Whole Foods group here.

[Update: Natasha here, minor URL edit and corrections made, sorry to bump in.]

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Comments (6)

While I agree that we need to ask questions and put pressure on companies (large and small), I feel that if we continue to sever relationships with businesses and individuals who do not have our exact value set, we are eventually going to form a group of one.

Taking our ball and going home, excluding players from the game or taking the stand of a self rightous martyr isn't really helpful.

Posted by Bob McInnis on 08/19/2009 @ 01:23PM PT
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It is one thing to frequent businesses whose owners disagree with our values. It's a grey area to frequent businesses whose owners disagree with our values but do not flaunt them.

But when you're dealing with a business owner writes an Op-Ed to flaunt and make a virtue of disagreeing with our values, particularly the belief that you, me, our friends and neighbors have an inherrent right to housing, health care or the food that he, as CEO, is so generously selling us at marked-up prices... well, gosh, under what situations *would* we take our ball and go home? Would he have to personally pen us a letter saying, "the best you, Tim, personally deserve is charity and not a societal safety net... unless you're buying my pomegranates"?

Posted by Timothy Foley on 08/19/2009 @ 04:17PM PT
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Regardless of my stance on health care, I'm definitely not joining in on a boycott of Whole Foods. Long before anyone brought up a "inherent right" to health care - we all decided on an inherent right to freedom of speach.

I wouldn't mind if this whole boycott thing took off. My local Whole Foods is always crowded. It would be nice to have a little elbow room while browsing for fresh veggies.

Posted by I C on 08/22/2009 @ 10:39PM PT
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I'm sure it would suit corporations best if they could wholly divorce that last little shred of conscience from our purchasing decisions, but alas, niggling scraps of concern for the common good remain.

Anyway, if corporations believed so strongly in freedom of speech, people would never get hired, not hired or fired, over what they post on private web sites or facebook pages, but that isn't how it works. Corporations don't operate in a vacuum of value, nor do they believe that they do, however much they like to be insulated from the self-serving greed of their executives when they're dumb enough to let their inner Tory shine through.

Posted by Natasha Chart on 08/23/2009 @ 05:31PM PT
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Your are confusing your issues. Noone has said John Mackey does not have the right to voice his opinions and that is not the issue with people who are boycotting Whole Foods. The issue is how to communicate, in a meaningful method, a rebuttal and an alternate viewpoint. Mackey, because of his status, power and wealth has a larger bully pulpit than your average citizen. He probably won't change his viewpoints. Libertarians are notorious for being singleminded and unable to think out of the presribed "Theology". He and Whole Foods, have in the past responded to public opinion and changed the way the store does business. I think some part of people's reactions has to do with feeling betrayed. Does this mean that he and by connection the people who run Whole Foods don't really beleive in nutrtious sustainable foods or did they just start the business as a way to make money in a niche market? Just another free market businessman and therefore the items we have purchased over the years have not contributed to the kind of world we want to achieve, but just more corporate overkill?

Either way, a boycott, can achieve two things, one create a market for another business that does respond to the needs and values of customers, and send a clear mass message of discontent with the health care system as it is and how it is being proposed by Mackey

Posted by Susan Birchler on 08/24/2009 @ 12:54PM PT
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Hi Melissa,

I applaud your efforts to raise awareness about the importance and necessity of the sustainable food movement. We need more voices like yours! However, I would like to offer some constructive criticism: If you want to be taken seriously (which your supporters need you to be), please proofread your work. I look forward to reading more of your articles in the days, weeks, and months to come!

All my best,

Shannon

Posted by Shannon Duffield on 08/23/2009 @ 05:03PM PT
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Author

Melissa Byrne is a community organizing by calling and her love of food goes back to planting a pumpkin patch when she was in kindergarten. Currently, she can be found visiting her mom in New Jersey where she garden barefoot and is growing lots of veggies and even Quinoa. She loves visiting her friends organic farms and gets angry when she thinks about all the people who don't have access to healthy food. And when she gets angry- she organizes...