catbird’s world

At the tweet-request of @msmari, here are 5 things I think Whole Foods is doing right. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think WF is perfect. But I do think it’s miles ahead of other chain grocery stores.

1. Customer Service:
If you read my blog or tweets, you know I’ve had quite a bit of interaction with Whole Foods customer service. WF recognizes customers as key to the company’s survival and therefore treats them with respect, listening to suggestions or complaints and trying to rectify any problems. As a part of the WF customer service plan, they generate a feeling of (dare I say it?) community among customers through feedback channels, in-store events, and general friendliness of the staff. Good customer service is so important to a successful business and WF really gets it.

Where I live (in northern NJ) friendly grocery store employees are few and far between so I really appreciate the friendliness (real or contrived) of the people at Whole Foods.

2. Employees:
For the past 12 years that Fortune Magazine has been generating the Top 100 Places to Work list, Whole Foods has been on it. Ranked at 22, it isn’t the only grocery store on the list. Wegman’s is 5 and Publix is 88 and both of those have been on the list all 12 years as well. Do I think it’s all sunshine and rainbows to work there? Probably not, but they must be doing something right.

3. Local products and suppliers:
Whole Foods is doing a great job bringing in local products and suppliers. In almost every department, there are signs for locally caught, raised, or produced food. Sure, it might be better for me to drive to the various farms or artisan shops to get these products (emphasis on “might”), but as long as we have grocery stores, I’m glad there is one collecting local products under it’s roof for me.

4. Green Mission
Whole Foods has Green Mission Specialists and they actually do stuff. Like listen to customer requests for reusable containers for bulk foods, or setting up special bins for compostable waste in the dining area, or getting rid of plastic containers in the prepared foods area, or… well, you get the idea.

5. Sustainablity
Okay, I know it’s such a buzzword right now, but it is important. Whole Foods thinks about products from “farm to fork”. Might not be perfect yet, but at least they are *thinking* about it.

These are just five things I think Whole Foods is doing right. I’ll reiterate: I don’t think WF is perfect, but I do think it’s the least of all evils with regard to grocery stores.

catbird :: Aug.23.2009 :: customer service, food, green :: Comments Off

We love Whole Foods 365 Kettle Cooked Potato Chips. They are a delicious savory treat.

There is, however, a problem with the packaging. The copy on the back reads: “Snacking is a national past time [sic]“? Really? Snacking is a pastime, and a national one at that. No wonder why there is so much obesity in our nation, we’re all whiling away the hours munching snacks.

What happened to the Whole Foods Education Core Value which says “We can generate greater appreciation and loyalty from all of our stakeholders by educating them about natural and organic foods, health, nutrition and the environment.”

Promoting snacking as a pastime is definitely NOT educating people about health and nutrition. Snacking should be done in moderation when hungry; certainly not to pass the time.

While I know (or at least hope) people aren’t taking life advice from the backs of potato chip bags, I sincerely hope Whole Foods will change the copy on this product to reflect their Values.

catbird :: Aug.10.2009 :: food :: Comments Off

I’m on a quest to find a vitamin for my kids that has less sugar and extra ingredients than the horrible Disney Gummies (or any gummy vitamin) they have right now. (In my defense, Nate can be very persistent. Which isn’t much of a defense.) Luckily, Very Helpful Whole Foods Guy gave me some great suggestions and information. For example, any gummy vitamin will probably have a 2 a day dosage because it’s hard to get all the vitamins in and keep the gummy texture. All the more reason to skip the gummies.

Let’s be clear: I’m not 100% sure my kids need a vitamin but if they do, I am 100% sure it doesn’t need to taste like a candy treat.

First, Disney Gummies.
Other Ingredients:
Corn Syrup, Sugar, Grape Juice Concentrate, Modified Corn Starch, Gelatin, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Natural Flavors, Black Carrot Juice Color Concentrate, Purple Berry Color Concentrate (Maqui Berry Juice Concentrate, Sugar), Annatto Color, Coconut Oil Triglycerides, Beeswax.

Now, other better options.

Just Once Kids One Multistars
Other Ingredients:
Natural mineral or vegetable source fructose, dextrates [a mix of sugars derived from starch], natural orange, pinapple and cherry flavors, vegetable stearine, silica, magnesium stearate, citric acid.

So, these are the ones I chose. The VHWF Guy told me some people have trouble getting their kids to take these, but I was willing to take the risk (Van likes them, Nate hasn’t had them yet). The downside is they’re expensive and not many in a bottle. But on the upside, there is just one color, so no arguments between the kids.

All One for Kids Vitamin Powder
Other Ingredients:
Rice Bran, Lemon Bioflavonoids (Lemon Fruit), Lecithin (as Soy Lecithin), Choline (as Choline Bitartrate and Lecithin), Inositol, Hesperidin Complex (Citrus Fruit), Para Amino Benzoic Acid (PABA), Rutin

This is a vitamin powder that can be mixed with food or juice with no added sugar at all. This is my second choice, although I’m not sure whether adding an additional measure and mix step to my morning routine is feasible at this point.

Dr. Sears Little Champions Fruit Chews
Other Ingredients:
Fruit powder blend (apple fiber, apple and pear powder), apple juice concentrate, evaporated cane juice, maltodextrin [a polysaccharide produced from starch that's absorbed as glucose], calcium citrate, magnesium phosphate dibasic, soy lecithin, sunflower oil, Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid), glycerine, tri zinc citrate, carrageenan, citric acid, malic acid, natural color (friut and vegetable juice for color), natural flavors.

The dosage is two chews for children over 4, but these might be a good options for kids who insist on a chewy texture. (Although these aren’t gummies, they are more like Starbursts.)

And for comparison… Flintstones Complete (not gummies):
Ingredients:
Sorbitol, Dicalcium Phosphate, Magnesium Phosphate, Choline Bitartrate, Sodium Ascorbate, Ferrous Fumarate, Gelatin, Natural & Artificial Flavors (including fruit acids), Pregelatinized Starch, Vitamin E Acetate, Stearic Acid, Carrageenan, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Soybean, Castor), Magnesium Stearate, Zinc Oxide, Niacinamide, FD&C Red #40 Lake, D-Calcium Pantothenate, FD&C Yellow #6 Lake, Aspartame†, Xylitol, FD&C Blue #2 Lake, Cupric Oxide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Sucrose, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Acetate, Beta-Carotene, Monoammonium Glycyrrhizinate, Folic Acid, Potassium Iodide, Biotin, Vitamin D, Magnesium Oxide, Vitamin B12. Phenylketonurics: Contains Phenylalanine

catbird :: Aug.09.2009 :: food :: Comments Off

Here’s the challenge: Every day, pick one food product in your house or at the store and read the ingredients. Skip the nutrition information, just read the ingredients. Then decide whether you want to eat it and/or serve it to your family.

It’s so easy to be caught up in exaggerated health claims, convenience, or flashy marketing (not to mention pestering children) and lured into a purchase. Taking time to read the ingredients (not the nutrition information!) is a way to better understand what you are buying and take a pause from a possible impulse buy.

So take the challenge and read a label before you decide. You may choose yes, and you may choose no, but at least you’ll be making an informed, thoughtful decision. And that’s the most important thing.

catbird :: Aug.03.2009 :: food :: Comments Off

Here’s what happens when I drop the ball on reading ingredients and purchasing thoughtfully: I end up giving my kids really expensive candy fortified with vitamins.

Here are the ingredients for Disney Gummies Princesses:

Corn Syrup, Sugar, Grape Juice Concentrate, Modified Corn Starch, Gelatin, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Natural Flavors, Black Carrot Juice Color Concentrate, Purple Berry Color Concentrate (Maqui Berry Juice Concentrate, Sugar), Annatto Color, Coconut Oil Triglycerides, Beeswax.

Here are the ingredients for Fruit Jammers: Gummy Bears Fruit Snacks:

Fruit Juice from Concentrates (Apple, Pear), Corn Syrup, Sugar, Gelatin, Sorbitol, Malic Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Mineral Oil*, Carnauba Wax*, Colors (Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Yellow 5).

So yeah, almost exactly the same, although, in a strange twist, the fruit juice comes first in the candy and third in the vitamins.

Sure, the vitamins are have, you know, vitamins, but this ingredient list horrifies me. Add to it the fact that gummies stick to your teeth, and — wow — what an awful product.

Oh, and here is the kicker: Disney Gummies Princesses cost $6.99 for 60 vitamins, which is a 30-day supply (for one child) because the dosage is 2 a day. Yes, you read correctly, 2 gummies a day. $7 a month. For fortified candy in the shape of princesses.

Needless to say, I can’t wait for these to be gone and I will never buy them again. Ever. Let’s all be conscientious shoppers and stay away from products like this that have little redeeming nutritional value when compared to the sugar content and branding exposure contained in them.

As a little horrifying gummy side note, when researching ingredient lists, I found a recipe for “YUMMY GUMMY BEAR EGGS”, a combination of scrambled eggs and melted gummy bears. AHHHHHHHHHH.

catbird :: Aug.01.2009 :: food :: Comments Off