News

Whole Foods launches 'Responsibly Grown' produce rating system

The new rating system labels fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers as "good," "better" or "best" to help shoppers make more informed choices in the produce and floral departments, and it prohibits some of the most hazardous neurotoxins still allowed in agriculture.

October 15, 2014

Whole Foods Market has announced the launch of Responsibly Grown, a tiered produce-rating system that assesses growing practices that impact human health and the environment. The new rating system labels fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers as “good,” “better” or “best” to help shoppers make more informed choices in the produce and floral departments, and it prohibits some of the most hazardous neurotoxins still allowed in agriculture, the company said in a press release.

Prohibited pesticides include several organophosphate insecticides, which recent studies indicate can impair neurological development in children born to mothers exposed through diet or by working in agriculture and living in nearby communities. A full list of prohibited and restricted pesticides may be found on the Responsibly Grown Web page.

“After three years of research and planning, Responsibly Grown is the result of our collaboration with suppliers, scientists and issue experts to continue our strong commitment to organic, while embracing additional important topics and growing practices in agriculture today,” said Matt Rogers, global produce coordinator at Whole Foods Market. “We are excited to broaden the conversation to recognize additional growing practices and drive more transparency in the industry.”

To earn a “good” rating, a farm must take 16 major steps to protect air, soil, water and human health. Growers also must comply with the Responsibly Grown pesticide policy, which restricts growers to using only U.S. Environmental Protection Agency registered pesticides, regardless of the country of origin. In other words, with very limited exceptions, farms outside the U.S. cannot supply Whole Foods Market with fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers grown using pesticides not allowed in the U.S. — including for types of crops not grown in the U.S. Growers also cannot use biosolids or irradiation and must commit to GMO transparency.

A “better” rating indicates advanced performance and a “best” rating indicates exceptional, industry-leading performance in a scoring system covering multiple topics in each of these key categories:

• pest management (e.g., using beneficial insects to control pests);
• farm worker welfare (e.g., providing protective equipment for workers);
• water conservation and protection (e.g., using efficient irrigation techniques);
• enhancing soil health (e.g., adding compost to soil; planting cover crops);
• ecosystems and biodiversity (e.g., planting wildflowers to restore natural bee habitat for pollinator protection);
• waste reduction (e.g., recycling plastics used in the field); and
• air, energy and climate (e.g., solar panels for renewable energy).