I love shopping at Whole Foods, primarily because the have no products with MSG in them. That’s right – none. Actually, they have a long list of unacceptable ingredients.
Does that mean everything there is healthy? Maybe, maybe not. I took a friend on a tour recently trying to help her find healthier snacking options. Surprisingly, there were a lot of snack foods (cookies and crackers) that were not made with whole grain flour. That may not mean much to you, but it does mean that they contain little to no fiber and fewer nutrients than their whole grain counterparts. So just like any place else you shop, you have to read the labels.
Beginning on Earth Day 2012 (April 22nd), Whole Foods will implement their Eco-Scale™ Rating System for cleaning products. There are no regulations for labeling of cleaning products, which can be a real issue for many of us. So, Whole Foods is implement their own rating system which will allow all of us to make better choices.
They have four different ratings – Red, Orange, Yellow and Green. You can read about them on their Eco-Scale™ Rating System page. Here’s a brief description of each category:
- Red – Not be carried by Whole Foods
- Orange – No phosphates, chlorine or fake colors
- Yellow – No phosphates, chlorine or fake colors – PLUS – 100% natural fragrances and minimal safety concerns
- Green – No phosphates, chlorine or fake colors – PLUS – 100% natural fragrances and minimal safety concerns – PLUS – 100% natural, non-petroleum ingredients
I love it. I’ll be shopping and buying only Yellow and Green rated products.
I applaud Whole Foods for implement this system. In the absence of government regulations, they are (once again) setting standards for what they carry in their stores. This is how it should work. It sends a message to the manufacturers about what the people want.
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Came over from your old(?)blog, fragrancefree. I’ve written Whole Foods about the terrible sinus/migraine headaches I get if I get near their personal care or cleaning sections. Incense, synthetic fragrance products(Naturatint, for example), running lavender essential oil(linalool),and Method and Sun cleaning products. I suggested they put health first and stop carrying these items or put them behing sealed glass. Have you written them?