WholeCherries [EnvironMental Rant. Sorry...]

Shopping at the gigantic, Wal-Mart sized Whole Foods Market near my house is always a mixed experience. On the one hand, I love that I can find food that I feel good about eating, both health-, taste-, and environmental-wise, and I'm willing to pay a little extra for the local and organic options. I love that it gives business to local farmers and thereby supports the whole local food movement and economy. I love that it's an outlet for people to choose healthier options both for families and for the environment.

But lately, I've also been noticing that Whole Foods isn't quite as Organic and they make themselves out to be. I've been noticing "Conventional" labels on more and more of their produce, often without an accompanying "Organic" option. Organic food imported from California or Chile or even New Zealand to Boston is one thing; if I wanted conventionally grown apples imported from Chile, I'd go to Stop and Shop. I understand that the store needs to respond to consumer demands, and that it's not possible to stock organic and local produce year round, but it seems like the percentage of conventional, long distance foods in the Whole Foods produce section has significantly increased in recent years.

Also, while the produce section now gives shoppers the option of paper bags for their fruits and veggies, there are still rolls upon rolls of plastic bags for the produce. Come to think of it, I didn't check to see if the bags were plastic or the newer biodegradable options, but there's an awful lot of plastic stocking the shelves of this organic, good for the earth supermarket, most of which will never make it to a recycling bin. Take the bags that these cherries are in, for instance: not reusable, not really recyclable, but how about shipping them bulk, in crates, and allowing shoppers to select their own to bring home in a paper bag or reusable container? Why must reusable bags extend only to the checkout counter?

My mom and I caught a quick dinner from the prepared foods section at Whole Foods. Though plastic carry-out containers are still available at the salad bars, there are also compostable cardboard ones, and even better, reusable plates and bowls for those of us eating at the tables in the store. This is great! But at check out, there are plastic-wrapped packages of silverware, each containing a fork, knife, spoon, and napkin, all wrapped in crinkly plastic. So much extra plastic! The majority of people who take these packages will not use all 3 utensils, thereby completely wasting the plastic. Yes, real silverware is available for the customers eating in-store, but if you have to use plastic silverware, does it have to be packaged like that? I also know that compostable "spud-ware" utensils--which look and perform like plastic ones, but are actually made from renewable potato starches--are about the same price as plasticware. Is is possible for Whole Foods to stock those instead?

Alright, this is getting long, but I guess my point is that I wish Whole Foods would take more steps to be even greener than they already are. They've done so much already that's had a real positive impact, but they're not done yet. There's so much more they can do, and I think they can have a real positive influence the more they keep pushing this.