{"id":5071,"date":"2025-06-24T18:14:49","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T23:14:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pirg.org\/missouri\/?post_type=article&p=5071"},"modified":"2025-06-25T18:59:57","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T23:59:57","slug":"shopping-at-whole-foods-should-mean-less-plastic-waste","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/pirg.org\/missouri\/articles\/shopping-at-whole-foods-should-mean-less-plastic-waste\/","title":{"rendered":"Shopping at Whole Foods should mean less plastic waste"},"featured_media":442,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":false,"_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":""},"campaign_tax":[170],"display_option":[],"issue_tax":[],"person_tax":[],"region_tax":[],"state":[2],"topic_tax":[145,303],"class_list":["post-5071","article","type-article","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"details":{"helper_taxonomies":{"topics":[145,303],"collection":false,"press_type":false,"person_type":false,"resource_type":false,"event_type":false,"campaigns":170,"department":false,"level":false,"states":[2],"act_option":false,"display_option":false,"primary":{"topic":145}},"featured_image":442,"caption_override":"","excerpt":"Whole Foods says it's committed to sustainability, but its shelves remain lined with single-use plastic packaging.","updated_on":null,"sidebar_action":[5047],"hide_hero_image":false,"sidebar_action_query_string":""},"helper_people_group":{"title":"Authors","entities":null},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"As you walk down the aisles of your local Whole Foods, you\u2019ll likely pass meticulously stacked towers of fruits and vegetables in impressive arrays of colors and shapes. You\u2019ll walk through thoughtfully curated specialty sections, too, like the international cheese counter and the in-house bakery that\u2019s more akin to a French patisserie than a grocery store bakeshop.\r\n\r\nWhole Foods dazzles shoppers with choices, certainly. But here\u2019s one thing you won\u2019t find much of at Whole Foods: Plastic-free packaging.\r\n\r\nWhole Foods has built its reputation on a commitment to environmental sustainability, and the company pledges<\/a> to nourish both people and the planet. Yet the grocery chain hasn\u2019t come close to living up to its planet-conscious pledges. In 2021, the most recent year for which the Plastic Pollution Scorecard<\/a> is available, Whole Foods received a failing grade.\r\n

The plastic waste problem<\/h3>\r\nDespite claims from the recycling industry\u2014and despite dutiful, daily efforts from millions of Americans\u2014very little plastic is recycled in the U.S.\r\n\r\nPlastic waste continues to pile up in our parks, streets, rivers and oceans. We\u2019re on track to put more than 53 trillion metric tons<\/a> of plastic into oceans and waterways each year.\r\n\r\nOur world would be cleaner and healthier with less plastic. And because grocery stores tend to package much of their wares in plastic, they are the perfect place to focus plastic reduction efforts.\r\n\r\nThat\u2019s where Whole Foods comes in.\r\n

Moving Whole Foods beyond plastic<\/h3>\r\nWhen it comes to reducing unnecessary plastic, Whole Foods was once a leader. In 2008 the chain became the first U.S. grocer to ban disposable plastic checkout bags. In 2019, the company eliminated plastic straws<\/a> from their caf\u00e9s and coffee bars.\r\n\r\nAnd yet a quick jaunt through your local Whole Foods makes plain the sad fact that progress has undoubtedly stalled. At Whole Foods, grocery staples like milk, spaghetti and yogurt are nearly impossible to buy without single-use plastic. PIRG researchers found<\/a> that less than 50% of Whole Foods\u2019 in-house \u201c365\u201d brand products are available in plastic-free packaging.\r\n\r\nMany shoppers prefer reusable or non-plastic options, and Whole Foods has an opportunity to both give consumers what they want and live up to its eco-friendly reputation. The grocery chain could reestablish itself as a leader in environmental responsibility, too, if it were to recommit to its plastic reduction goals.\r\n\r\nWhole Foods could:\r\n