March 4, 2008
Whole Foods Establishes Higher Standard for Body Care
Whole Foods bills itself as the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket and, as such, has sought to promote itself as the preeminent authority on all things related to the so-called LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) consumer.
To that end, the chain has launched its own Premium Body Care standard and seal of approval with the intent of setting a benchmark that all others in the industry would need to follow in the future.
“Personal care products are not regulated like food in this country so there are currently no consistent standards for them laid forth by any governing body. Customers have been bombarded with brands and products claiming to be ‘natural,’ which can be confusing,” said Jeremiah McElwee, senior global Whole Body coordinator, in a company press release. “Our goal is to provide an alternative approach for our customers, so they know that when they see the Premium Body Care seal they are getting safer, higher quality personal care products. We invite shoppers to look for the new seal, which can be found on nearly 1,200 products in our Whole Body departments.”
To have a product labeled with Whole Foods’ Premium Body Care seal, manufacturers cannot test products on animals and they cannot contain a number of ingredients including parabens, polypropylene and polyethylene glycols, sodium lauryl and laureth sulfates.
Jody Villecco, quality standards coordinator for Whole Foods Market, said, “We meticulously examined every personal care ingredient, using the most current research and resources to evaluate products in key areas of safety, naturalness, efficacy, environmental impact and labeling. Our research revealed that healthier and safer alternatives to many of the conventional body care ingredients are a viable option.”
Whole Foods is not looking for products that are simply eco-friendly, but also work. The company claims it spent more than two years reviewing ingredients and labeling information.
“The Premium Body Care standard is a starting point and an opportunity to raise the bar even higher for the natural products industry,” Mr. McElwee said. “With new information and higher quality ingredients, we make it easy for our shoppers to identify and select the best products out there.”
Discussion Questions: How do you expect Whole Foods’ Premium Body Care standard will impact the company’s sale of natural and organic personal care products? Will other retailers seek to develop standards of their own? Do you think Whole Foods should (will) attempt to extend its standard and seal of approval beyond its own store?
BrainTrust
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Poll
This is an outstanding strategic move for Whole Foods. Certainly it will be setting a new standard and having other retailers vying for a point of difference “green” with envy!
Whole Food’s move solidifies its standard-bearer status and hedges their bet as organics move toward commodification.
Whole Foods isn’t the first to take this approach, however, brands too are getting in on the standard-setting action. Burt’s Bees, as it enters into the mass arena in a big way, is serving as an educational resource to retailers and encouraging industry standards for natural and/or organic products outside of the USDA seal via its “The Greater Good” campaign.
Whole Foods and Burt’s Bees know that the power seat goes to standard setters, not standard followers, particularly in the natural and organic product world where dubious claims are facing greater scrutiny and skepticism.
I think it’s very doubtful that other chains would mirror this effort by Whole Foods. Anyone who has shopped Whole Foods for this category knows the price structure has enough margin in it to allow Whole Foods to undertake this endeavor without cutting too deeply into profits.
As a consumer that wants to put less chemicals into my system via HBC products, I applaud the effort. But only a small portion of my spending in the overall category can be allocated to premium priced products. It’s fun and informative to learn at Whole Foods, but given the prices, very few items actually end up in the basket. I will, however, take a few comparative, education oriented trips, and will likely end up with a $200 basket of stuff because of conversations that inevitably happen with the smart and friendly staff!
This can only be a good thing. Too many companies have hung the natural and/or organic label on their products, but there is no evidence that the products actually meet the standards, let alone work as promised. Whole Foods is stepping up and indicating that they will not allow these products to sit on their shelves until they have been properly tested, and therefore endorsed by the retailer.
It will bring trust back into the decision making process for HBC items in supermarkets. No longer will the quality be in question; Whole Foods providing their seal of approval will be another reason that shoppers will continue to pay the higher prices that WF commands. They will trust the WF seal, and they will pay for this extra quality check.
Good move for Whole Foods as it creates another point of differentiation.
If Whole Foods were really hoping that their standard and seal would become an industry standard and adopted by other retailers, then the creation of it should have included Government Organizations, Non Government Organizations, Associations, suppliers and perhaps even other retailers. This would have ensured that the methodology used in building the metrics were representative of the industry’s most current knowledge.
In the end, this is but another marketing program attempting to position Whole Foods as the source for all things organic.
To “raise the bar for the industry,” Whole Foods will need to convince consumers that their reviews are totally unbiased, and not just slanted to the products it carries in its stores. If they are successful in doing this, Whole Foods will be able to build on its good-for-you leadership position in yet another category.
Whole Foods’ Premium Body Care line might get some publicity and it’s certainly well positioned to the Whole Foods core audience. Very few supermarkets put any unusual effort into the HBA area. Generally they carry a mix of mass market famous brands that everyone else has, along with me-too copycat private label knockoffs. Health and beauty aids can be something special. Whole Foods can educate the supermarket industry.
More Discussions
Has Same-Day Delivery Become an Expectation Across Retail?
Are expectations around retail delivery speed in flux?OpenAI Names the Infrastructure Standard for Agentic Commerce
Will OpenAI or Google (or another entity) set the gold standard for agentic commerce?Is Five Below Poised For Even Greater Growth?
Five Below is hitting serious growth numbers. Can this trend continue?
This is an outstanding strategic move for Whole Foods. Certainly it will be setting a new standard and having other retailers vying for a point of difference “green” with envy!
Whole Food’s move solidifies its standard-bearer status and hedges their bet as organics move toward commodification.
Whole Foods isn’t the first to take this approach, however, brands too are getting in on the standard-setting action. Burt’s Bees, as it enters into the mass arena in a big way, is serving as an educational resource to retailers and encouraging industry standards for natural and/or organic products outside of the USDA seal via its “The Greater Good” campaign.
Whole Foods and Burt’s Bees know that the power seat goes to standard setters, not standard followers, particularly in the natural and organic product world where dubious claims are facing greater scrutiny and skepticism.
I think it’s very doubtful that other chains would mirror this effort by Whole Foods. Anyone who has shopped Whole Foods for this category knows the price structure has enough margin in it to allow Whole Foods to undertake this endeavor without cutting too deeply into profits.
As a consumer that wants to put less chemicals into my system via HBC products, I applaud the effort. But only a small portion of my spending in the overall category can be allocated to premium priced products. It’s fun and informative to learn at Whole Foods, but given the prices, very few items actually end up in the basket. I will, however, take a few comparative, education oriented trips, and will likely end up with a $200 basket of stuff because of conversations that inevitably happen with the smart and friendly staff!
This can only be a good thing. Too many companies have hung the natural and/or organic label on their products, but there is no evidence that the products actually meet the standards, let alone work as promised. Whole Foods is stepping up and indicating that they will not allow these products to sit on their shelves until they have been properly tested, and therefore endorsed by the retailer.
It will bring trust back into the decision making process for HBC items in supermarkets. No longer will the quality be in question; Whole Foods providing their seal of approval will be another reason that shoppers will continue to pay the higher prices that WF commands. They will trust the WF seal, and they will pay for this extra quality check.
Good move for Whole Foods as it creates another point of differentiation.
If Whole Foods were really hoping that their standard and seal would become an industry standard and adopted by other retailers, then the creation of it should have included Government Organizations, Non Government Organizations, Associations, suppliers and perhaps even other retailers. This would have ensured that the methodology used in building the metrics were representative of the industry’s most current knowledge.
In the end, this is but another marketing program attempting to position Whole Foods as the source for all things organic.
To “raise the bar for the industry,” Whole Foods will need to convince consumers that their reviews are totally unbiased, and not just slanted to the products it carries in its stores. If they are successful in doing this, Whole Foods will be able to build on its good-for-you leadership position in yet another category.
Whole Foods’ Premium Body Care line might get some publicity and it’s certainly well positioned to the Whole Foods core audience. Very few supermarkets put any unusual effort into the HBA area. Generally they carry a mix of mass market famous brands that everyone else has, along with me-too copycat private label knockoffs. Health and beauty aids can be something special. Whole Foods can educate the supermarket industry.