A HEALTH FOOD GIANT:

BIG IN PROFITS, LACKING IN BACKBONE

Whole Foods is hitting the headlines once again...but not in a way they would have hoped for.

Whole Foods has had no shortage of controversy over the last couple of years. Many organic food advocates and customers have been chronically frustrated with what seems to be a lack of core values when it comes to their organic purchasing choices.

Some are also critical of their virtual takeover of the health food industry, making it very difficult for the small local stores to survive. And then there was the Washington Post Blog by CEO John Mackey on his Whole Foods alternative to 'Obama-Care'. The post generated widespread criticism in the blogosphere and almost resulted in a boycott of the store.

The latest controversy for the health food giant has brought Whole Food's core values into the lime light once again. On July 27th, Whole Foods introduced a special promotion for the month of Ramadan on their blog. The popular business magazine, Fast Company, recently featured an article on the Ramadan promotion. Not surprisingly, the right wing critics quickly began to attack the company...to the extent of insinuating 'jihadist' and 'anti-Israel' policies.

As ridiculous as these ignorant and immature attacks are, the response from Whole Foods has been in no way impressive. The following internal email circulated by Whole Foods executives to its chain stores was published this week by the Houston Press:

"It is probably best that we don't specifically call out or 'promote' Ramadan ... We should not highlight Ramadan in signage in our stores as that could be considered 'Celebrating or promoting' Ramadan."

It seems that due to a small group of angry and irrational Islamaphobes, Whole Foods Leadership has caved and backed down from their Ramadan promotional campaign.

Why This Story Is Critically Important

At a time in our country where Islamic bigotry is prevalent, and in some areas, the norm, we need our big businesses to help reverse the fear-based culture and add something positive...supportive. If Whole Foods is going to respond this way to a Ramadan promotion, perhaps they should tone down their Passover promotion...how about Easter and Christmas? Personally, I think that would be ridiculous, but double standards are much more ridiculous.

A company with the power and size of Whole Foods has the potential to make a significant positive impact. Yet, instead of courage in the face of criticism, tenacity in the face of the fear-mongers, a willingness to stand for the values they claim to embody...Whole Foods is displaying a real lack of backbone.

As a frequent customer of Whole Foods for many years, my hope is that Whole Foods can become a company that we are proud to shop at...that we are inspired to visit. Perhaps the negative press will help to stimulate something positive within the company...an adaptogenic immune response. 

In this day and age, big business is a reality...but we need big business with a new consciousness, with a commitment to an elevated value system that goes beyond the same old, same old of the corporate world. Not values that are simply posted on your website or a sign in your store...values that you live by, that you embody as a business entity...from the smallest employee to the top executive.

Is this the type of leadership that we will continue to see from the world's largest health food chain?

How do you think Whole Foods should respond to this situation?  Should we just expect this type of activity from a company as massive as Whole Foods? Please share your thoughts and comment...and please circulate this to as many people as possible!