Whole Foods customers say produce quality has tanked since Amazon's takeover
Whole Foods shoppers complained about finding bruised, discolored, tasteless, and rotten produce in stores across the US. Shoppers also cited persistent out-of-stock issues.
Many customers are blaming the problems on Amazon, which acquired Whole Foods in a $13.7 billion deal in August.
“Price reductions are appreciated but not at the expense of reliable quality,” one customer said.
Whole Foods told Business Insider that it has made no recent changes that would affect the quality or availability of its produce.
Shoppers across the US are claiming that the quality of Whole Foods’ produce has tanked since it was acquired by Amazon, and some say they’re abandoning the grocery chain as a result.
In interviews with Business Insider and in social-media posts, dozens of shoppers have complained about finding bruised, discolored, tasteless, and rotten produce in Whole Foods stores from California to New York over the past couple of months.
Shoppers have also reported out-of-stock issues, saying it’s impossible to find items that they’ve been buying at Whole Foods for years, such as frisée, loose carrots, and Brussels sprouts. Several said fruits and vegetables such as avocados are spoiling faster than usual.
It’s not immediately clear what’s changed — Whole Foods says nothing — but many customers think the difference is e-commerce giant Amazon, which acquired Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in August. While some of this may be a matter of perception among customers worried about what the Amazon deal means for their favorite store, analysts at one Wall Street investment bank have noticed detrimental changes at stores they’ve been routinely visiting, including what they call the “conventionalization” of Whole Foods.
“I purchased apples that tasted like water, an orange that was yellow and tough on the inside, and a bruised lemon,” said Susie Ippolito, who shopped at a Whole Foods store in Manhattan’s Upper East Side two to three times a week until recently. “That was the last time I went to Whole Foods. If you can’t sell me a decent apple in the height of apple season, I’ve lost all faith in your store.”
Whole Foods told Business Insider it had made no recent changes that would affect the quality or availability of its produce. The company said it had strict processes to ensure that only high-quality produce makes it into its stores and that nothing has changed about those procedures.
Amazon did not respond to a request for comment.
“At Whole Foods Market, we are passionate about the quality of the food we offer,” said A.C. Gallo, president and chief operating officer at Whole Foods. “We have high standards, and we only want to sell the highest quality, freshest produce possible. That will always remain at the core of our business.”
Shoppers say quality produce is disappearing under Amazon
More than half a dozen shoppers told Business Insider that they started seeing evidence of declining quality in stores within weeks of the Amazon-Whole Foods deal closing in August.
Kedar Mate, of Richmond, Virginia, said the seafood selection on his recent visits to Whole Foods had been meager and “depressing” and the shelves of leafy greens such as kale and chard that are typically “chock full” have been barren.
He cited out-of-stock issues on items like loose carrots and said he’s noticed more spoilage among the strawberries. Mate said that after five years of weekly shops at Whole Foods, he has started searching for a new grocer.
Janet Wagner, of Santa Monica, California, told Business Insider she was abandoning Whole Foods after years of shopping there twice a week.
“It has been very disappointing to witness the decline of the Whole Foods shopping experience since the Amazon acquisition,” Wagner said. “The market has a totally different vibe. Besides the diminished quality of fruits and vegetables, lots of items are out of stock.”
Over the past few months, prices have dropped on some of her staple purchases, like bananas, tomatoes, and avocados, but they’re rotting faster than in the past, she said.
“Personally, I would rather pay more an