This blog post kind of violates some rules like: I shouldn't talk about our competition as it just brings them more attention, or I shouldn't talk stink about them, etc. But, you know, I just have to comment when you see an article where the CEO of Whole Foods is quoted as saying "We sell a bunch of junk". Like, that must be the dictionary definition of putting your foot in your mouth! Or maybe he is being very honest and real and is just telling the truth (I can't fault him for that).
John Mackey stated in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, "One way to think about Whole Foods is that we've always had two philosophies that sort of wrestle for our own soul and for the souls of our customers. One is the foodie philosophy, that food is primarily about indulgence, about pleasure. The other part is that food is primarily to nourish us, to make us vital. Whole Foods has always had a synthesis of those two, but over a period of time, one or the other has tended to triumph, kind of like liberals and conservatives tend to oscillate in power in D.C. Healthy eating went on at Whole Foods from at least about 1980 to 1995. Now we've had a 15 year run for the foodie philosophy."
At Down to Earth we sell healthy foods at down to earth prices, we won't violate our vegetarian standards, which are the very foundation of our business, and we focus on providing organic and natural products. There is no "foodie" philosophy at Down to Earth, we are not a fancy gourmet store. We are "Down to Earth" - our name says it all!
Mark Fergusson