Whole Foods takes tiered approach to responsibility

Whole Foods Market is helping its shoppers make a choice between good, better and best when it comes to the level of growing practices they want to support when purchasing fruits, vegetables and flowers.



Long known for exacting requirements when it comes to product sourcing, the new initiative called Responsibly Grown, gives shoppers greater control over just how exacting they want to be. The new tiered rating system labels fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers as “good,” “better” or “best” and prohibits some of the most hazardous neurotoxins still allowed in agriculture.



“After three years of research and planning, Responsibly Grown is the result of our collaboration with suppliers, scientists and issue experts to continue our strong commitment to organic, while embracing additional important topics and growing practices in agriculture today,” said Matt Rogers, global produce coordinator at Whole Foods Market. “We are excited to broaden the conversation to recognize additional growing practices and drive more transparency in the industry.”



According to Whole Foods, prohibited pesticides include several organophosphate insecticides, which recent studies indicate can impair neurological development in children born to mothers exposed in diet or by working in agriculture and living in nearby communities.



To earn a “good” rating, a farm must take 16 major steps to protect air, soil, water, and human health. Growers must also comply with the Responsibly Grown pesticide policy, which restricts growers to using only U.S. Environmental Protection Agency registered pesticides, regardless of the country of origin. Whole Foods said farms outside the U.S. cannot supply it with fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers grown using pesticides not allowed in the U.S., with very limited exceptions for crops not grown in the U.S. Growers also cannot use biosolids or irradiation and must commit to GMO transparency.



A “better” rating indicates advanced performance and a “best” rating indicates exceptional, industry-leading performance in a scoring system covering multiple topics such as pest management, farmworker welfare, water conservation, soil health, ecosystem and biodiversity and waste reduction.



A full list of prohibited and restricted pesticides may be found on the Responsibly Grown web page.