I wonder how many people heard about this problem of lead in ginger candy found at BOTH WF's and TJ's (along with Target, from what I gather)?

[www.huffingtonpost.com]

Whole Foods stocked it in the bulk bin and it was sourced from The Ginger People (whose products I have certainly bought before). TJ's was probably just packaged with their name on it. What does that tell you? It is the SAME product packaged under different names! I am convinced that Vanana organic yogurt is Stonyfield Farms (they also have a French Vanilla and Strawberry, just like SF's) because it tastes exactly the same. This happens all the time, which is why when a product gets recalled, it can affect multiple chains.

The ginger probably came from China (where ginger commonly grows) and contaminated with lead during growing.

The point is that to think that if you buy one product at WF's it's totally different than something from another store is just plain silly. Different labels are slapped on stuff all the time. Look at electronics.

I agree that you can buy the exact same packaged product someplace other than WF's and it may be cheaper. Or it may be more expensive. My local supermarket organic packaged stuff is more expensive than Whole Foods exact same packaged product. But I'm not sure that the conventional produce is the exact same conventional produce in all stores. About the Driscoll Strawberries - I don't know if they're from the exact same source even though they're all the Driscoll Label. I know that Whole Foods Driscoll Strawberries are better quality than those in my local supermarkets, so I don't mind paying extra. Maybe it's all related to how fresh they are and when they're removed from the shelves.

Another thing I love about Whole Foods - you can take anything back at any time and tell them you didn't like it, and you get a refund, no questions asked. You just write down the reason with your name and address. Half the time I don't even have any product with me or any receipt - I just tell them the watermelon I bought wasn't good, and they tell me to go get another one and they put a 'free' sticker on it or something to that affect. At my local supermarket and the other HFS, you have to give a whole song and dance and show your receipt and feel like a liar when you try to get your money back.

One year, I took back a package of blueberries to my local supermarket and said they were bad, and the woman said "What's the matter with them?" And I said, "They're soft," and she said, "They're supposed to be soft," and I said, "I don't like soft blueberries," and she said, "Well, what do you want me to do about it", and I said, "I'd like my money back," and she said, "OK, wait over there," and it was a whole big production in front of everybody at the checkout counters. No wonder, they lost so much business to the bigger, better supermarket that was built nearby.

No. That never happens to me. My local markets accept stuff. Trader Joe's has an excellent policy in regards to that. And the strawberries I bought at my local grocery were amazing. I could not have had a better batch from WF's.

Having said that, WF's is not optional. I need certain specialty items that I cannot get elsewhere.

real state location. Where I live, WFs are in better locations with higher rent. They need to jack up the prices of the products and pay less to the employees. You get the same thing for less in another location. Convenience

Panchito Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> real state location. Where I live, WFs are in
> better locations with higher rent. They need to
> jack up the prices of the products and pay less to
> the employees. You get the same thing for less in
> another location. Convenience


Dude, give it up. I live in a "better location" (affluent area) and both places I applied to WF's they were in such areas (one in the city and my area in the 'burbs). $10 across the board, regardless of education. And at one job fair I saw plenty of people who looked highly educated.

Hi banana who. if you can read this message I give up

LOL! Okee...I can read it...

can you read this one?

I'll never give up defending Whole Foods. I love them. Yes, some stuff is more expensive at Whole Foods than elsewhere, so buy that item elsewhere. I go to four different supermarkets, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and two other regular health food stores. They each have stuff that I can only get in that particular store or something is cheaper in one store than another one.

I also go to three different pet shops because of their particular products or prices or sales or discounts, coupons, etc. I love having so many choices and variety and it's called 'the free market', 'supply and demand', 'let the market decide', "competition", 'capitalism', 'entrepreneurship', 'survival of the fittest'. I don't 'need' all that variety, but I Love it. That's what makes America great. I just got back from Petco, buying food for our three cats and our grand-dog. I saved $20 on $120 worth of pet food. I bought stuff on sale, I had a $5 Petco rewards coupon, and this fabulous coupon they sent me in the mail with my Petco Pals Reward store card (which I get 5% back on my purchases) where I got a discount of 15% on everything I bought today. It was so exhilarating.

The California Dept of Public health first issued the warning of the Chinese ginger candy in Sept 21, 2010. See CDPH warns consumers not to eat “ginger candy” from China

Lots of warnings from California Dept of Public Health: Google Search for CDPH warns consumers

Kid Raw, it's not about bashing WF's; it's about not drinking the Kool-Aid that they are somehow perfect. As Prana mentioned, this warning is several years old. My link shows many recalls WF's has had to do recently. The truth is that even they source from China! So how can they be so superior to any other store? Why would you source from a country where it is very hard to verify purity?

What I should have mentioned to Panchito is that WF's ONLY sets up shop in ritzy areas! It's like Charbuck's--if you have one in your 'hood, you know there is a demographic with higher-income folks...

What I cannot understand is why the state of Iowa has zero WF's! I mean, there have to be some hipsters in IA...