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Let ’Em Eat Whole Foods?

One symbol of extravagance that may be looking unnecessarily gaudy to consumers these days is Whole Foods, the Austin, Texas-based upscale grocery chain referred to even in flusher times as Whole Paycheck.  Eagle-eyed investors are circling the once-plump company.

This month, activist shareholder Ron Burkle’s Yucapipa investment firm reportedly bought a 7% stake in Whole Foods, saying he intends to monitor its performance closely. Last November, Leonard Green Equity Investors bought 17% of the company and placed two handpicked members on the board of directors, a move some observers speculate signaled the investors were unhappy with management’s direction.

None of which is to say that Whole Food stores will soon be offering affordable prices on foods that don’t make you sick—although if you happen to reside in a homeless shelter in a town that boasts a Whole Foods, you may very well eat high on the hog from time to time and not even know it.

San Francisco’s Real Food Company competes well pricewise in the organic arena in a town full of foodophiles, with some neighborhood locations in relatively small storefronts.  Trader Joe’s, a company that touts itself as “the neighborhood grocery store,” takes pride in offering a wide variety of high quality specialty items along with meat, milk and bread.  Its company website lightly points out that you can’t buy stock in the privately held company but the good news is that the customer is king.

Thanks to Kroger and other big box stores, discerning eaters in America’s smaller communities can get quality organic foods and specialty items if you ask for them. You can always carry your stuff home in a recycled Whole Foods shopping bag if you’re really into conspicuous consumption.

Sometimes I wonder why healthy food is not more widely advertised. The people who eat it sure are sexier.

Jack, OSA