Whole Story

It’s often easy to forget that the burger, steak or drumstick on your plate was once an animal. How was that animal raised? How was it treated? Where did it come from? What did it eat? What about hormones and antibiotics? Was its growth artificially accelerated to get to market sooner and reduce feed cost? Here are a few things to think about as you try to answer those questions. Let’s Drink To That Administering synthetic growth hormones such as rBST to dairy cows can increase milk yield and thus the supply of milk, yogurt, cheese, butter, etc. For your convenience, Whole Foods Market offers a wide selection of dairy products, including many from farms that don’t give their cows synthetic growth hormones. In fact, our own 365 Everyday Value® and Whole Foods Market™ brand dairy products (including cheese) are from farmers who pledge not to use rBST. Another great way to avoid them is to choose organic, since the National Organic Standards don’t allow synthetic growth hormones…vote with your dollars! If you were buying milk, would you look for a label with “no rBST” or “no rBGH”? Take our poll on synthetic growth hormones and see how your thoughts stack up with others. Let’s Allow Hens To Be Hens Cage-free eggs are from laying hens that move around freely, exercise and scratch about instead of being confined in a cage. All eggs sold in cartons and used in recipes in our Whole Foods Market kitchens and bakehouses are cage free. Let’s Respect Our Dinner Our meat and poultry standards at Whole Foods Market not only allow us to offer the highest quality food to our customers, they take into account the comfort, physical safety and health of the animals. For example, our animal welfare standards require enough space for chickens to run around and flap their wings. Remember: Every bite has a story. Your conscious food choices make a world of difference. Learn more at Let’s Retake our Plates.