ALL ABOUT FOOD: The wide world of Whole Foods

If you are under the impression that organic and natural foods have to be more expensive than conventional products, think again.

If you think that the Whole Foods Market is only for health nuts, think again twice.

Actually, Whole Foods has a complete range of products and many items that are not to be found elsewhere in town. In addition, their bulk food section and their extensive signature 365 line of products are excellent bargains.

Unique to the Whole Food market chain is a mandate that all of their products are organic or “natural,” which means they contain no additives, preservatives, antibiotics, hormones, artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners and must meet their high standards for quality.

In contrast to conventional markets, they have a high environmental IQ. This includes a program for compassionate treatment of food animals. They are proponents of guaranteeing their quality of life and insist on third-party verification of all the meat, poultry, fish and seafood they buy.

Their “green” mission includes composting 65% of all their waste. They recycle all of the rest but hope some day to have no waste at all. For example, they recently stopped using black plastic trays with clear lids for their rotisserie chickens and now use brown paper bags with cellophane windows.

To discourage the use of paper and plastic bags, they reward customers 5 cents for every reusable bag they bring in for their groceries, including bags with other store’s logos on them. About 35% to 40% of Whole Foods customers are now using these bags.

Yet another program that distinguishes Whole Foods is called Whole Trade. Essentially, this is a policy to support certified fair trade, which ensures that producers get paid a fair price, that working conditions are good and that workers get a fair wage. Items in the store that comply have a World Trade sticker. Sugar, chocolate and coffee are prime examples. Allegro coffee is their own organic brand of fair traded coffee, and they donate $10,000 a year of the proceeds to community projects in education, health care and farm development.

The Whole Planet Foundation is an organization founded by Whole Foods and Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank of Pakistan to offer micro-credit loans without collateral, at a very low interest rate to the poorest of the poor, focusing on women who are self-employed. Food and products they produce are purchased by Whole Foods.

Most of this information was given to us in a 1 1/2 -hour-long conversation with the Laguna Beach store team leaders, Rich Dinan and Brian Reese. Both were very helpful, obviously enthusiastic and proud to be working for this company. The style of the company promotes input from all team members at regular meetings. The chief executive himself is very accessible and open to new ideas. Incidentally, he takes one dollar a year in salary and his stock options are donated to the Animal Compassion Foundation.

Rich and Bryan very much want their store at 283 Broadway (formerly Wild Oats) to be a vital part of the Laguna community. They recently participated in A Taste Of Laguna and a benefit for the Friendship Shelter. They have a Locals Day twice a year, where 5% of their sales for the day are donated to a local charity. Team members are encouraged to be very friendly and the cashiers know many of their customers by name.

Bryan gave us a tour of the store, pointing out some of its unique features. The affordable 365 line, which includes organic and natural products, is growing by leaps and bounds, with approximately 10 new items a week being introduced throughout the store, ranging from breakfast cereal to ice cream.

Their meat department is the only place in town where you can buy heart-healthy buffalo steaks, tri-tip, ribs and even buffalo hot dogs. Their fresh ground buffalo contains only 10% fat. They have air-chilled chicken breasts, which are hung to chill rather than conventionally soaked in ice water (containing bacteria that is absorbed by the meat). Air chilled poultry is cleaner and you aren’t paying for water weight. None of their poultry or eggs comes from hens that have been confined to battery cages.

They have the largest and freshest selection of organic produce in town and try very hard to find local growers. At this point in time, about 70% comes from Southern California. They also are looking for more heirloom produce, which is less hybridized. Their grapes have seeds, something that seems to have gone out of fashion since hybrid grapes have been bred to be seedless. They have heirloom tomatoes and currently a beautiful array of heirloom squash.

There is a display area at the end of one aisle featuring raw foods, including snacks, candy, chips, trail mix, cookies, cereal and spices. One particular brand is the Laughing Giraffe, manufactured by an individual who brought the product to Whole Foods and received a loan to manufacture his line of raw, vegan, gluten-free granola and snacks for them. Another display area features all gluten-free products.

Some exceptionally good items that you cannot buy anywhere else in town include the Mountain Fruit Company line of jams. These have less sugar but are intensely fruity. Their raspberry jam is the best we have ever tasted and has only 20 calories per tablespoon as opposed to 60 for regular jam. Other flavors are southern peach, blackberry, apricot and fig.

If you are a pickle fancier, they have authentic kosher dills called Bubbie’s Pickles. These are the real deal. Vegenaise is an egg-free mayonnaise substitute that tastes exactly like real mayo. We have become big fans of spelt pasta, which is an ancient form of wheat that is nuttier, sweeter, higher in protein and easier to digest than wheat. Look for Vita-Spelt light spaghetti.

Whatever your pre-conceptions, give Whole Foods a try. Check out their deli, bakery and salad bar and of course their extensive line of supplements, vitamins and beauty products as well. To contact the store, call (949) 376-7888 or visit www.wholefoodsmarket.com/ stores/lagunabeach/

ELLE HARROW and TERRY MARKOWITZ owned A La Carte for 20 years. They can be reached for comments or questions at [email protected]