Pre-peeled oranges packaged in plastic for $6: Why Whole Foods' wannabe natural culture is an absolute joke

Sunday, March 20, 2016 by: Jennifer Lea Reynolds
Tags: Whole Foods, Orange Gate, plastic packaging

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(NaturalNews) Whole Foods, the store that's trying oh so hard to provide its customers with healthy, natural and environmentally-friendly options has fallen flat on its face ... again.

The most recent debacle comes from an image posted on Twitter of pre-peeled oranges resting in plastic containers and sitting on the store's shelves. It isn't so much the insane $5.99 per orange cost that ended up generating widespread attention, but rather the fact that the peeled orange was surrounded by plastic, hardly an environmentally-conscious move coming from a store that professes to have utmost care for the planet and its inhabitants in mind.

"If only nature would find a way to cover these oranges so we didn't need to waste so much plastic on them," Nathalie Gordon (@awlilnatty) tweeted, hinting that the oranges should be left as is, with their natural covering on (what a concept) instead of being housed in plastic. Along with her tweet, she re-posted an image of the oranges from a picture she obtained from the image-sharing site, Imgur.

What Whole Foods had to say, plus other people's reactions

Whole Foods responded, making it clear that they were in the wrong. "These have been pulled," Whole Foods tweeted. "We hear you, and we will leave them in their natural packaging: the peel."

The whole pre-peeled mess has been dubbed "OrangeGate," apparently started by Gordon. It even has its own hashtag for those who want to get in on the situation.

Of course, many others have become involved, expressing their dissatisfaction over the matter. "You have GOT to be kidding me. More ridiculous than $9 spa water. Humans, you cray!" tweeted Michelle Taylor Cehn, who also authored a World of Vegan article on the topic. In it, she wrote, "When I walked into Whole Foods Market in Oakland and saw these naked mandarin oranges sitting in plastic jail cells, my jaw dropped too. I mean—I know humans are capable of some pretty ridiculous and thoughtless things (::cough:: factory farming ::cough::), but this still got me to pause ..."

The sliced produce dilemma continues

Interestingly, there are people who don't have any problem with the packaging. For the most part, these individuals have cited health issues – including arthritis – that make peeling the fruit a challenge.

Although Whole Foods says it will keep Sumos tangerines in their natural packaging – the peel – they will still keep some pre-peeled foods in their stores. "Orange and tangerine slices have long been a staple favorite in our stores, and we'll continue to offer them along with other sliced produce options for customers who are looking for added convenience," says Whole Foods Market senior media relations specialist Liz Burkhart.

This isn't the first time Whole Foods has experienced consumer backlash.

Whole Foods under a watchful eye considering past issues and questions about future goals

You may recall how 70-year-old Margaret Dooley of Maplewood, New Jersey, accidentally forgot to pay for some cheese. It was hidden beneath her purse in the shopping cart, and the woman simply overlooked the product. Still, that didn't keep Whole Foods security employees from treating her like a horrible criminal, going so far as to take her photo and even ban her from the store!

Then there's the store's plans to go entirely GMO free by 2018, a goal first mentioned by Whole Foods president A.C. Gallo during the 2013 Natural Products Expo West. It's safe to assume that people will be eyeing the store big-time, and that if the company strays from the plan – either by the stated date or the products it carries, or both – it will come under serious scrutiny on many levels, and social media will undoubtedly play a significant role.

What you can do NOW to take control of the food you eat

But why wait for Whole Foods to get its act together from a GMO-free perspective?

While that's a smart move, you can learn more about the toxic foods that lurk in your food supply now, instead of waiting for various stores and restaurants to get on board.

By reading Mike Adam's book, Food Forensics, you can learn all about pesticides, heavy metals and much more, so that you can remain informed about the foods you're ingesting. Pre-order the book today!

Sources for this article include:

CBSNews.com

NBC4I.com

WorldOfVegan.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

Science.NaturalNews.com