WHOLE FOODS RESPONDS TO CAROL’S LETTER

Carol Alt is a longtime patron of Whole Foods Market, yet she was finding lately that there were fewer and fewer products available there that suited the demands of her raw life style. For example, they would advertise “raw almonds”, when in fact they had been pasteurized in California. Or if a food item originates in a foreign country, it’s UV radiated before being sold in U.S. markets and Whole Foods adheres to that rule. While she understands that most markets insist on those types of processes, Carol does not wish to eat foods that have been subjected to her idea of harmful treatments. “When almonds, for example, have been pasteurized”, Carol says, “They can no longer germinate, which is important to me. UV radiation kills the enzymes that are good for us. I, for one, prefer to deal with the natural bacteria that might occur on raw foods than to be forced to eat irradiated or pasteurized items.

“Then there’s the raw milk issue. Do you know that there’s a ‘coven’ of people in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen devoted to raw milk? You have to know someone who knows someone before you’re allowed to join it, because it’s a felony in New York to sell raw milk! How ridiculous is that?! If you obtain raw milk from a farm, it can only be for your own personal use and you can only give a donation to the farm, as opposed to actually purchasing the milk, unless they have a real (meaning taxable) sales stand. Naturally, the farmer and his family are all drinking the raw milk that they don’t sell or give away; they aren’t getting their milk from a supermarket, for heaven’s sake. Well, guess what: If it’s good enough for the farmer’s baby to drink, it’s good enough for me!

“I was able to find – online, of course – a farm in California that would sell me 100% raw almonds. Another company sells me the raw pickles that I love and I give them to my friends. We all used to buy these things at our Whole Foods market, but they made it so difficult for us to get the items we need that we now shop online.

“So…I wrote a letter to Whole Foods a few months ago. I wanted to know why I could no longer find the truly raw products that I was looking for, such as pickles, even though they carry raw sauerkraut; or Just Picked frozen orange juice, which is not a concentrate nor pasteurized – it’s the pure juice as you’d drink it, but frozen. How come the Whole Foods in California can sell raw milk, but the one in New York, where I live, can’t?

“I have to say I was really happily surprised when I received a response from Whole Foods in the form of a phone call from one of their in-house RAW FOODS chefs! It showed that they had actually read my letter and taken my concerns seriously. The chef was very knowledgeable and she gave me a lot of pertinent information. Her basic answer to my specific questions was ‘it’s the law’.

“I interpret that to mean the law of supply and demand. If enough of their customers were as concerned about their health and what they put into their bodies as I am, stores like Whole Foods would make sure that they supplied the products we demand. They could at least make it easier for their customers to locate and identify the raw foods that they do stock. A huge company such as this has it within its power to be lobbying the lawmakers to use common sense when it comes to regulating the foods that the public should have the right to choose for itself.

“I wish that everyone I know would just sit down and write a letter to Whole Foods, or to their own neighborhood healthy foods market, and request that they increase their stock of raw foods AND make it simpler to locate those foods within the stores. I’m really getting tired of having to constantly phone or write my local stores, just to verify if a product they tout as “raw” really, truly is.

“Remember: I had cancer once upon a time and the only “treatment” I chose to follow was a raw food regimen. I absolutely believe it saved my life and that it’s the only way to keep my body healthy…for the rest of my life. I love it; I love the flavors of the foods I consume; and most of all, I love the way I feel. I just want the organic/health food grocers to get on board and stock as many of the raw foods as they possibly can. I really don’t think that’s asking too much.”

Carol was happy that Whole Foods cared enough to address her issues, at least by making that phone call in response to her letter. Now she’s keeping tabs on the changes that may result from that interaction. As things progress (or not), she’ll keep everyone posted.

Rated 4.50 by 4 people

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