Whole Foods Market® celebrates “Shrimpsgiving™” in stores nationwide

Austin, Texas (November 10, 2008) — Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFMI) today announces the arrival of “Shrimpsgiving” in its seafood departments nationwide.

“Both our fully-cooked and raw shrimp are great grab-and-go value items, and they make quick and tasty additions to special meals, and easy yet elegant appetizers for Thanksgiving or for any occasion during the holiday season,” said David Pilat, global seafood coordinator for Whole Foods Market.

Shrimpsgiving celebrates the little-known fact that the Pilgrims and Native Americans enjoyed seafood along with their turkey at the first Thanksgiving meal[1]. To honor those early traditions and to kick off the holiday season, Whole Foods Market stores will feature special prices on the nation’s perennial seafood favorite during the month of November and a larger array of shrimp than previous years during this holiday season.

Customers can choose from an array of wild and premium farm-raised shrimp, including already cooked, tail-on farmed shrimp from Thailand at $8.99 per pound and raw, shell-on American-raised white shrimp (price varies by region). Both featured varieties are mild and sweet, and are terrific time savers for holiday hosts trying to appease hungry families. While the cooked shrimp is ready to steal the show in a spicy shrimp cocktail or marinated shrimp salad, the raw shrimp cooks up in just a few minutes (ready when the shrimp turn firm, opaque and pink) and is an easy protein to top a risotto or stuff and bake with garlicky mushrooms.

“Shrimpsgiving is our way of reminding shoppers that shrimp can be a versatile, easy and inexpensive addition to holiday meals or appetizers,” said Pilat. “Best of all, our farmed shrimp meets the highest quality standards in the industry so you can feel confident feeding it to your family.”

The Company’s strict aquaculture standards require that its seafood does not have antibiotics, added growth hormones, preservatives such as sulfites, or poultry and mammalian byproducts in feed. Additionally, Whole Foods Market’s farmed standards require vendor partners to successfully pass an independent, third-party audit, and farm-to-fork traceability is required from the hatcheries where the young fish and shrimp are first hatched, to the ponds, pens, raceways or tanks where they are raised, and to the plants where they are processed. To learn more about Whole Foods Market’s new aquaculture standards, visit https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/pressroomroducts/aquaculture.php.

Visit any Whole Foods Market store or go online for delicious shrimp recipe ideas and photos at https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/pressroom/pressroomhoto-gallery/seafood-shrimpsgiving/.