Give Now  »

wfiu logo
WFIU Public Radio

wtiu logo
WTIU Public Television

Choose which station to support!

Indiana Public Media | WFIU - NPR | WTIU - PBS

Whole Foods Fans Not Happy After CEO's Anti-"Obamacare" Remarks

wholefoods

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal this week offering an alternative solution to President Obama's health care plan – Whole Foods products. Though its only one part of his 8-idea plan to reform health care, his Whole Foods idea is getting the most attention, probably for good reason. Mackey had this to say:

"Recent scientific and medical evidence shows that a diet consisting of foods that are plant-based, nutrient dense and low-fat will help prevent and often reverse most degenerative diseases that kill us and are expensive to treat."

This seems like an interesting idea, especially considering that Mackey just recently admitted this about Whole Foods:

"Basically, we used to think it was enough just to sell healthy food, but we know it is not enough. We sell all kinds of candy. We sell a bunch of junk.

Since the Mackey came out and spoke against Obama's health care plan, pro-"Obamacare" Whole Foods customers are revolting.

Angry tweets and Facebook groups led to a legitimate boycott, which by the middle of this week had over 16,000 group members. The Washington Post was able to snag an interview with the guy who started the growing group, who had this to say:

A lot of people have been paying a premium for the Whole Foods brand for years," said Mark Rosenthal, a playwright living in Massachusetts who founded the Boycott Whole Foods group a few days ago. It has nearly 14,000 members. "A lot of people are sad to look at this corporation and see that it is just like any other, if not worse.

To combat the issues, Whole Foods' PR department has sent out loads of apology letters and set up a forum on the official web site so people can voice their concerns.

Read More: "Whole Foods Devotees Lash Out at CEO" (Washington Post)

Support For Indiana Public Media Comes From

About Earth Eats

Harvest Public Media