Whole foods are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible, before being consumed. Whole foods typically do not contain added salt, carbohydrates, or fat. Examples of whole foods include unpolished grains, beans, fruits, vegetables and non-homogenized dairy products. Although originally all human food was whole food, one of the earliest uses of the term post-industrial age was in 1960 when the leading organic food organization called the Soil Association opened a shop in the name selling organic and whole grain products in London, UK.
The term is often confused with organic food, but whole foods are not necessarily organic, nor are organic foods necessarily whole.
“Diets rich in whole and unrefined foods, like whole grains, dark green and yellow/orange-fleshed vegetables and fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds, contain high concentrations of antioxidant phenolics, fibers and numerous other phytochemicals that may be protective against chronic diseases.” A diet rich in a variety of whole foods has been hypothesized as possibly anti-cancer due to the synergistic effects of antioxidants and phytochemicals common in whole foods.
A focus on whole foods offers three main benefits over a reliance on dietary supplements: they provide greater nutrition for being a source of more complex micronutrients, they provide essential dietary fiber and they provide naturally occurring protective substances, such as phytochemicals.
Community Giving: Whole foods Service Under 501c3-
Part of the Neighborhood
As a company, we are quite unique. Our stores are not cookie cutter big box-type stores with directives from “corporate” about how to run the business. Each of our stores has a lot of latitude in deciding the best way to operate that individual store to meet the needs of the local community. That makes community giving really special and fun.
From the stores
Our team members are part of the local community and they are passionate about supporting the local causes that are important to our shoppers and neighbors. First off, it’s a given that each store donates food to area food banks and shelters. We have food; they know how to get it to people who need it. Done. Then several times a year, our stores hold community giving days (otherwise known as “5% Days”) where five percent of that day’s net sales are donated to a local nonprofit or educational organization. The groups that benefit from these 5% Days are as varied as the communities themselves. Last but not least, team members are constantly volunteering their time and expertise to an assortment of local non-profits.
If you have questions about our donation policy or have a nonprofit or educational organization you would like us to support, please contact the Marketing Director at your local store or fill out a donation request form.
Global community
While our store donations provide the backbone of our community giving, we also give back to the larger national and global community. Our Whole Planet Foundation fights poverty through micro-lending in rural communities around the world. We provide a good deal of the funding for the loans and underwrite the administrative costs so every dollar donated goes directly to those who need it most. We also support projects that relate directly to organics and environmentally-friendly production methods, animal welfare, sustainable seafood, and healthy families and nutrition. Additionally, if the need arises, we coordinate donations at the cash register for regional or national disasters.
Overall, our community giving well exceeds 5% of our total net profits each year.
Whole Planet
The Whole Planet Foundation’s mission is to create economic partnerships with the poor in those developing-world communities that supply our stores with product. Through innovative assistance for entrepreneurship — including direct micro-credit loans and tangible support for other community partnership projects — we seek to unleash the energy and creativity of every human being we work with in order to create wealth and prosperity in emerging economies.
The Whole Planet Foundation’s mission is to create economic partnerships with the poor in those developing-world communities that supply our stores with product. Through innovative assistance for entrepreneurship — including direct micro-credit loans and tangible support for other community partnership projects — we seek to unleash the energy and creativity of every human being we work with in order to create wealth and prosperity in emerging economies.
