Re: Whole Foods buying local?

Greg & Lei Gunthorp (hey4hogs@kuntrynet.com)
Tue, 3 Aug 1999 23:17:29 -0500

It is high time someone calls them on their marketing gimmick. Because its
too often the case that they don't even buy products that are
natural/organic/or anything. They are conventional, non-local, and a huge
premium. Its a joke. I'd be willing to forward my phone bill on to anyone
that would like to see documentation. I've left at least one message a
week to the Meat buyer for Wild Oats stores since March. I did get one
return call and got explained how it was often too difficult to work with
local farmers on meat and how they can't effectively distribute products.
I already go by their stores! I've even left a message for their CEO. My
next call is to 20/20, 60 minutes, or 48 hours. I'm drawing very near to
making that call. I go by several of their stores on my Chicago delivery
route and quite often I have boneless butterfly chops left over. It is too
convenient for them to get their pork from Premium Standard Farms I guess.
Yes, they are the third largest confinement operation in the country and
the largest environmental polluter in the Midwest. I too have set in on
their "speech" about buying local. Its a load of crap.
Best wishes,
Greg Gunthorp
Free Range Hog Farmer

----------
> From: Patricia Foreman <goodearth@rockbridge.net>
> To: sanet <sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu>
> Subject: Whole Foods buying local?
> Date: Tuesday, August 03, 1999 8:40 PM
>
> Earlier this year I attended a two-day organic symposium in Maryland. One
of
> the guest speakers was from Whole Foods. She spent 4 hours telling some
50
> farmers how hard it is to find local farmers to buy food from and how
> desperately Whole Foods tries to do so. As far as I know, however, not
one
> farmer that day got any contract, or encouragement to grow for Whole
Foods.
> The following week I spent most of a day on the phone trying to connect
with
> buyers from Whole Foods stores in Maryland, Virginia an d North
Carolina.
> Not one person returned my calls. So much for supporting local farmers.
I'm
> afraid Greg Gunthorp is right, Whole Foods uses the "local farmer" bit as
a
> gimmick to increase sales of their mostly conventional products.
>
> Andy Lee
> Good Earth Farm
>
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