A recent online survey, conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Whole Foods Market, found that parents of kids under 18 reported spending an average of 27.2 minutes per week – equivalent to a cumulative 24 hours annually – reading food labels and/or thinking about the ingredients in their children’s food.
Additionally, 87 percent of parents with kids under 18 are concerned about the ingredients in their child’s food, and 69 percent report worrying less about these ingredients when shopping at a grocer or retailer they know has high ingredient standards. As parents and caregivers across the country once again head back to school, Whole Foods Market is teaming up with Certified Holistic Nutritionist Kelly LeVeque, a best-selling author, wellness expert and mom of two, to raise awareness of its industry-leading quality standards.
“Knowing that I can feel good about the products offered at Whole Foods Market is a time-saving game changer,” LeVeque said. “As a certified holistic nutritionist, I recognize the power of knowing that Whole Foods doesn’t allow hundreds of preservatives, flavors, colors and sweeteners that are found in so many packaged foods. Whole Foods Market’s Quality Standards deliver confidence in what I give to my family and recommend to clients.”
On Whole Foods Market’s social media pages, followers will get a special back-to-school store tour from team members who steward the quality standards program and shop it with their own kids.
Whole Foods Market created its own quality standards for ingredients and sourcing, which have been upheld and continually advanced by the grocer for decades. The guidelines include an industry-leading list prohibiting more than 150 preservatives, flavors, colors, sweeteners and other ingredients commonly found in food, and in turn, help alleviate the need for time-consuming label scrutiny.
“At Whole Foods Market, we believe that customers should know where their food comes from, how it’s grown and what ingredients are used,” said Jamie Yael Katz, senior advisor of quality standards at Whole Foods Market. “As a parent myself, I know how much mental energy can go into choosing food for our kids. Parenting proudly and eating joyfully is much easier and less time-consuming when you know that your grocer has done the ingredient homework for you.”
Additional ways to save time at Whole Foods Market this back-to-school season include curbside grocery pickup at all stores as well as lunch and dinner to go, a new feature in the Whole Foods Market mobile app that allows customers to order favorite prepared foods for delivery or pick-up. The menu includes sandwiches, salads, entrées, pizzas, sushi, soup and beverages and is currently available to iOS users in select markets.
