All the controversy over the past few years regarding Whole Foods Market and its dubious position on genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) seems to have fizzled following the company's recent announcement that, by 2018, all GMOs sold in its stores will have to be properly labeled. But in the meantime, are Whole Foods patrons, and particularly those who purchase food at one of its many "fresh" food bars, being duped into paying a premium for products that contain GM canola oil and other unhealthy additives?
If you frequent Whole Foods, you more than likely have been beckoned, at least once, by the siren calls emanating from one of its enticing fresh food buffets, which are typically overflowing with piping-hot fresh vegetables, delectable casseroles, tender meat dishes, and other savory, gourmet delights. And for the most part, these and the many other offerings at Whole Foods fresh bars truly are fresh, containing minimal additives that might cause potential health problems for you and your family.
But the key word here is minimal - and sometimes this minimal is really more like excessive, especially when it comes to those food items that were marinating in a seductive infusion of spices, oils, and other tasty flavor-enhancers prior to landing in those stainless steel chafers. Though the vast majority of the ingredients found in each meal item at a typical Whole Foods fresh bar are, indeed, fresh and healthy, it is Whole Foods' excessive use of canola oil, refined flours, and other ingredients that defy the company's own claims about its food offerings.
Most canola oil comes from GM sources, and this ingredient is prevalent at Whole FoodsIf you take some time to peruse those neatly-presented ingredient labels at a typical Whole Foods "hot" bar - that is, the bar containing all the warm meal items as opposed to the salad bar - one of the first things you will notice is that many of them contain canola oil. In some cases, an item will contain healthy oils such as olive oil or even coconut oil, but in most cases, canola oil seems to be Whole Foods' cooking oil of choice.
Why is this such a big deal? Canola oil, as you may well already know, is almost always derived from GM canola if not specifically labeled as organic. And as of this writing, there is no indication that Whole Foods uses either organic or non-GM canola in any of its food items, which means many customers are unknowingly ingesting a toxin that may lead to allergies, diminished immunity, and even cancer.
"It is now believed that rapeseed (canola) has a cumulative effect, taking almost 10 years before symptoms begin to manifest," writes journalist Vanessa Runs about the dangers of canola. "One possible effect of long-term use is the destruction of the protective coating surrounding nerves, called the myelin sheath. This is like having raw, open wires in the body," she adds, noting that canola oil consumption has also been linked to depleting vitamin E inside the body, as well as inhibiting the proper metabolism of foods and blocking normal enzyme function.
Tell Whole Foods to remove canola oil from its fresh barMany people are still greatly misinformed about canola oil, which is presumably why Whole Foods continues to use it in their fresh bar foods. But canola oil is not safe, especially when it comes from GM canola plants, and it has no business being used by a so-called "natural" grocery chain that claims to use "nothing artificial, ever."
Those concerned about the continued use of canola oil by Whole Foods are urged to contact the company and ask that it remove canola oil and replace it with a healthier alternative, such as grass-fed butter or ghee, lard, coconut oil, or olive oil.
