It's okay I bought it at Whole Foods

"There is a significant imbalance of information provided to consumers, and often, customers won’t always compare labels and instead make intuitive decisions that are based upon previous assumptions."

I was in Whole Foods late this past Thursday. I am someone who is always looking for the best deal on things and will eagerly tell you that I purchased something on sale, so you might be wondering, “Shana, what on earth were you doing in Whole Foods of all places?” Great question because as soon as I stepped inside, I began wondering this myself. It was 8:50 PM, and I was coming from my ballet class and needed milk. No seriously, I needed milk because no coffee in the mornings is not an option. Given the late time and Whole Foods being just down the block from my dance studio and open, it was my best bet.

I don’t shop there often because it’s known for its pricey products. My friends and I even dub the store “Whole Paycheck.” Grapes $6.99 per pound, versions of almond butter one priced at $21.99, and I could go on and on. I got my milk and some bread because, of course, I remembered that I needed that as well, but I was intrigued by some of the products being sold as I wandered around the aisles. I always remember the times I would go shopping with my father (another penny pincher), and whenever he would see something highly priced, he would jokingly go up to one of the workers and put up his arms as a sign of defeat and say “you got me, take my money.” In other words, whatever they were selling for whatever price was “highway robbery.” Some workers would find this funny, others not so much. I thought of doing this on Thursday night in Whole Foods, but I don’t have my father’s charming wit, and I also knew the workers in Whole Foods had nothing to do with the prices and were just counting down until they could leave. I once worked in customer service, and anyone who has knows that you never really look forward to these interactions because you are just trying to make a living off of a presumably minimum wage check and go home.

However, my stroll through Whole Foods did make me think about the health halo effect that the store tends to have. “A health halo effect creates false perceptions of whether a certain food product is healthy or unhealthy based on unrelated factors like keywords used on the product’s labeling or in marketing campaigns.” This term is mostly used for food products, but we can definitely apply it to Whole Foods in general. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of this store? I’ll bet that “healthy” is one of the words that comes to mind. So it will always be fascinating that you can find Honey Nut Cheerios cereal sold at Whole Foods. Not because I personally believe Cheerios are bad (they aren’t) but because quite a few other people demonize this cereal and cereal in general.

Whole Foods also advertises itself as having higher quality standards than your average grocery store or supermarket. According to the Food Ingredient Quality Standards page on their website, it states, “We believe that the best ingredients belong on your plate. That’s why we’ve banned hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrup, sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose and saccharin — along with more than 300 colors, preservatives, flavors and other ingredients from all of the food we sell in our stores.” You will also find a list of all the banned ingredients on that same page. So why is it that a product such as Honey Nut Cheerios sold at Whole Foods is given the A-okay, but if it’s sold at the corner bodega, folks are told to make “better choices?” Enter in the health halo effect. 

The truth is that we usually make purchasing decisions when we see certain packaging and also the words on the packaging. We are, of course, familiar with the cartoon characters on cereal boxes that are meant to grab children’s attention or the brand logos that incorporate pictures that many of us can recognize internationally (think the arches of McDonald’s), but the words that are strategically placed on packages play a large role as well. The more we start to really pay attention to what’s on the label, the more privy we become to what we are told to think about regarding food. According to some studies, “using specific colors in food labeling like red and yellow is said to have a psychological impact on people’s desire for food. However, a food product focusing on organic might feature more ‘earthy’ colors compared to bright colors, which might suggest they have artificial colors.”

Maybe this sounds familiar to some, after all colors can be associated with different moods and symbolic meanings. But what we should start taking note of are the negative descriptions of foods that we see on products, such as toxic, sinful, garbage, junk, etc. The product will advertise how they are not these things, but these descriptions of any food are unnecessary. I wrote about the power of words before for my very first Substack (read it here), and the same logic applies here. Why do we feel the need to describe food as garbage and junk? Because it’s processed and/or packaged? Remember that different foods are meant to provide different things, and not all foods are meant to be consumed with nutrients and specific nutrition in mind.

Let’s take a look at what I mean:

*I want to make a disclaimer that this is shockingly not an attack on the nutrition, benefits, or taste of these products. Many of these products are delicious and can be enjoyed, but we need to start paying attention to the marketing and what is implied. If you enjoy these products, by all means, please continue to enjoy them.*

The Lesser Evil brand that I found at Whole Foods on Thursday. Ignore my chipped nail polish, please.

The first product I want to discuss is the Lesser Evil brand. My question is, what makes other snacks more evil? If you’re rolling your eyes at this question, maybe we should start rolling our eyes at brands using a Buddha logo and referring to themselves as “less evil” because they deem themselves morally superior, but I digress. What is it exactly that makes their product superior to others? From the health halo words written on the label, their product is organic, grain free, non GMO, certified paleo, and of course, clean and simple. Organic is one of the many labels placed on food that many people will never admit they don’t fully understand. It does not mean that there were no pesticides or chemicals used, and of course, these products usually cost much more than conventional. If organic is important to some, that’s fine, but it doesn’t make someone morally superior or “less evil.” Grain free. Grains are incredibly good for the body. If you have celiac disease, then you should look for something gluten free because gluten is a protein found in wheat. But this doesn’t mean it’s more healthy. It’s only a healthier choice for those with celiac disease because who wants to experience discomfort in their bodies? No one. The words “clean” and “simple” are written on the front. This tactic is utilizing the fear that many consumers have regarding processed foods. The word “processed,” should not be scary. I will remind everyone that there isn’t a definition of clean in the health industry, and companies can use this term however they wish. I also wrote about clean eating before. Read more on that here.

Oh, but there are more health halo effect words we can look at:

The word detox is definitely an attention grabber.

More wandering around Whole Foods made me take notice of how many times I saw the word detox. As a dietitian who had to study biochemistry and anatomy in school, nothing annoys me more than the word “detox” being slapped on a label. Our organs are what detoxes us, not a fancy, overpriced drink or food. When we talk of detoxing, we mean eliminating toxins, and our organs do this magnificently.

• Our Lungs can detoxify by removing gases

• Our Skin can detoxify by reducing the penetration of toxic substances

• The Digestive System can detoxify by eliminating toxic foods (ie: vomiting, diarrhea)

• Our Kidneys detoxify by secreting toxins or filtering toxins out of the blood into urine

• Our Liver detoxifies by changing the chemical nature of many toxins

Pretty cool right? So yes, I am sure that the salad in the picture gallery above is delicious, but it is not what actually detoxifies our body.

So, what exactly is the purpose of my rambling about this? It’s because I want us to be more mindful of words and health halo grabs. I don’t understand why we can’t call foods what they are instead of the unnecessary labeling. I mean, I do understand it from a marketing perspective and understand why it’s done, but my hope is that more people will recognize these tactics. It’s important to recognize these words have become normalized, and there are indeed implications, even if they seem harmless at a glance.

You can eat HOWEVER you want, and I want to make this clear. That’s not what this newsletter is about. I would never food shame anyone, regardless of their choices, because I’m not the food police. This is for the people who eat certain foods, brands, and labels only because they think it’s superior, especially when they don’t actually enjoy them or can’t financially afford them. We need to start realizing that many of these labels are based on marketing and are just buzzwords. The health halo effect is very real and is used continuously on certain products. If you are eating these foods but don’t actually like them or are struggling to afford them, I would really love to invite you to stop. Different foods will give us different forms of nourishment. Guilt has no place at the table. Eat what you love and what works for you and your body. And most importantly, do not yuck someone else’s yum.

*Another reminder that this is not an attack on any specific brands. I think it’s important that as consumers, we are privy to the marketing and also how certain words are used. That’s all.*

*The quote in the subtitle is from Bret Leary, Associate Professor of Marketing in the College of Business.*