| Farm Name | Whole Foods Markets (365 organic) | |
| Rating | (4) |
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| Location | Austin, TX | |
| Products | Fluid milk products | |
| Market Area | Nationwide | |
| Web Site | http://wholefoods.com/ | |
| It is impressive that over 90% of all name-brand organic dairy marketers fully participated in the Cornucopia research study permitting their customers to understand how their products are produced. Unfortunately, 0% of private-label marketers (store brands) were initially willing to participate. Whole Foods Market should be applauded as the first retailer willing to be transparent with their private-label products. This is a high ethical standard that consumers should expect from organizations wanting to participate in this industry.
Whole Foods has been diligent in their efforts to secure a source for their organic milk that is of high integrity and comes from family farmers, not industrial-scale factory-farms where most of their competitors (Wild Oats, Trader Joe's, Wal-Mart, Costco, among others) are procuring all or some of their "organic" milk. Whole Foods Market writes: “Whole Foods Market is the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket and America’s first national certified organic grocer. The company’s line of 365 Organic Everyday Value organic milk is available in whole, fat free, 1 percent and 2 percent varieties. The milk is produced and distributed regionally throughout the United States as close as possible to the communities in which it is sold. It comes from a cooperative of organic family farmers dedicated to pasture-based dairy production and to preserving and expanding family farming as a way of life and a viable system of production. |
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| Criteria | Points | Comments |
| Ownership Structure | 60 | Investor-owned |
| Milk Supply | 70 | Milk of integrity |
| Disclosure of Information for Verification | 100 | Full and open disclosure |
| Certifier farms | 100 | Most OTCO |
| Certifier processing | 75 | QAI |
| Cows on pasture time/acreage provided | 100 | Strong/enforced cooperative policy |
| Health and longevity of cows | 100 | Very low cull rate! |
| Replacement animals only from organic farms | 75 | Organic animals purchased/minority conventional |
| Antibiotics used on young cattle | 100 | Never |
| Reproductive hormones used | 100 | Never |
| Farm support oversight | 90 | All dairies and visited regularly by staff |
| Outside dairy ingredients purchased | 100 | None |
| TOTAL SCORE | 1070 |
FOUR COWS (excellent) |