AUSTIN, TX (July 10, 2009)
Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFMI), a leader in the natural and organic retail industry, is pleased to announce it has been ranked the “most humane grocery store” for the second year in a row by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) because of the Company's commitment to offering humanely labeled foods.
WSPA, the world's largest alliance of animal welfare organizations, awarded Whole Foods Market number one after conducting a survey of 200 stores in 34 states to rank the top 25 U.S. supermarket chains based on the quality and variety of humanely labeled products available on the shelves.
“WSPA's recent survey not only indicated that Whole Foods Market had the most variety of humane food offerings but actually increased its selection from the year before,” said Dena Jones, Program Director for WSPA USA. “We are glad to see Whole Foods emerge as a leader in offering animal-friendly foods and we hope that other national chains will follow suit.”
Whole Foods Market requires all animal suppliers to its 280 stores in the U.S., Canada and the UK to meet specific and rigorous welfare standards that apply to all stages of an animal's life and environment. The company continues to champion innovative production systems that support the comfort, physical safety and health of the animals.
The survey shows that Whole Foods Market scored the highest by offering twice as many humanely labeled products per store than any other ranked grocer. For a complete list of store rankings and survey results, click here.
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