Whole Foods Market Q&A: Sustainable Sourcing and Agriculture

With more than 500 stores across the US, UK and Canada, Whole Foods Market has grown from a single store in Austin, Texas to a multinational grocery giant. 

It is one of the fastest growers in the US, with sales increasing 40% since Amazon acquired it in 2017. 

Sonya Gafsi Oblisk is Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer at Whole Foods Market where she leads a diverse portfolio of responsibilities. 

These include merchandising, marketing, business strategy, private label and sustainability. 

Sonya says her aim is to create innovative strategies that enhance customer accessibility to high-quality natural and organic foods. 

She also leads the Whole Foods Market Foundation team which has invested more than US$167m in global nutrition, food access and economic opportunities over the last two decades.

Sonya shares her expertise with Sustainability Magazine. 

How does Whole Foods Market approach sourcing?

At Whole Foods Market, sourcing is rooted in our long-term relationships with farmers, ranchers and producers who align with our high standards for quality, sustainability and ethical practices. Our approach prioritises environmental stewardship, animal welfare and fair labour practices, ensuring the products we sell meet our rigorous standards. 

We have continued to lead the industry with sourcing standards, including our sustainable wild-caught seafood and animal welfare and the 550+ ingredients we ban across food and beverages, supplements, body care and household cleaning products.

We do the homework for our customers, and it’s made a difference in how people think about their food and where it comes from. 

All initiatives under our Quality Standards umbrella follow this model of giving shoppers information about the sourcing of products we sell — for example, our Sourced for Good programme. When you see that sticker on our product, it represents the millions of dollars paid in premium funds to those suppliers, supporting a range of projects that benefit workers and their communities. 

In January we launched our new Seafood Code of Conduct which helps safeguard the human rights and welfare of workers throughout our global seafood supply chain for seafood across our stores. 

Additionally, we have our Pollinator Health Policy, which requires Integrated Pest Management for all fresh produce and floral items. This means less pesticide use that can be harmful to pollinators as well as to the farm workers growing and handling those products.

What is climate-smart farming and how is Whole Foods supporting it?

Climate-smart farming includes agricultural practices that help reduce carbon emissions, enhance soil health and improve biodiversity while ensuring long-term food production. Regenerative farming, organic practices, crop rotation, reduced tillage, cover crops and managed grazing are essential methods that help heal and improve our environment. 

We’re proud to be protecting the integrity of regenerative agriculture claims by making sure that our shoppers know when they see regenerative on a label in our store that we’ve once again done the homework for them — and that this label can be trusted.  

Our goal is to ensure today’s farming practices contribute to a thriving, sustainable food system for future generations. We collaborate with organisations such as California Certified Organic Farmers, the Organic Centre and National Young Farmers Coalition to help farmers transition to climate-smart practices. We work closely with suppliers who prioritise water conservation and soil regeneration, and we continue expanding regenerative and organic certified product offerings.

One of my favourite products is our Whole Foods Market brand Regenerative Organic Certified Rolled Oats.  

How does Whole Foods use collaborations for sustainability?

It’s critical we adapt our operations, including the way we grow and source our food, so we can continue to provide access to high quality, natural and organic foods for the next generation. Tackling sustainability challenges can’t be done in a vacuum; it requires collective action. 

Whole Foods Market collaborates across the food system to create a ripple effect of change and help protect our entire ecosystem. Most notably, Whole Foods Market has championed organic and the National Organic Program since its inception, which we helped to develop over 20 years ago.   

Beyond policy, we collaborate with suppliers — especially small and mid-size farms — to implement regenerative agriculture and fair labour practices. Programmes like Sourced for Good connect us with organisations like Fair Trade USA and the Rainforest Alliance, supporting ethical sourcing, fair wages and environmental protections. By fostering these partnerships, we set higher industry standards while making sustainability more scalable and impactful.

To further promote biodiversity, in 2024, we launched a Prairie Strips Programme in collaboration with Mad Agriculture. Prairie Strips are areas of native plants grown on the edges of agricultural fields and in other strategic locations on farms, and they have the potential to protect pollinators, enhance soil health and support water retention. Whole Foods Market and participating farmers will be planting and maintaining about 100 acres of prairie hedgerows on farms that supply ingredients to brands we sell, reflecting a shared commitment to sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship.

Whole Foods Market encourages its suppliers to move towards climate-smart agricultural production methods, like organic and regenerative agriculture, which can reduce carbon emissions, enhance soil health and support the sustainability of food production. For example, in collaboration with the Wolfe’s Neck Centre for Agriculture and the Environment, we provided funding and helped recruit brands, distributors and value chain stakeholders to support producers in implementing science-based, regenerative practices at the farm level. 

What are the challenges of balancing consumer demand with sustainability?

I am optimistic about this next generation. Whole Foods Market conducted a study last fall, and it showed that Gen Z consumers are placing an overwhelming emphasis on both sustainability and quality in their grocery products. More than 70% of Gen Z supports climate-smart agricultural practices. Additionally, 55% are willing to pay more for environmentally sustainable products.

We are seeing a trend with customers understanding the importance of sustainability and the interest in how the food system can adapt to a changing climate. This is an opportunity for Whole Foods Market to bridge the gaps, acting as the glue between consumer and suppliers to collaborate for a better future food system. 

How does Whole Foods measure sustainability success?

At Whole Foods Market, we embrace our responsibility to be a force for good in the food system. We know that, in many instances, our industry-leadership on sustainability and our Quality Standards have raised the bar for the entire industry, setting a new North Star for other retailers to follow.

We’re proud to work together with our incredible, mission-driven suppliers and stakeholders from across the industry to spur a ripple effect of change. 

I think about a big headline earlier this year, when the FDA revoked its authorisation for the use of Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs, but Whole Foods Market has been leading the industry on synthetic colors for decades. Since we first opened our doors in 1980, we’ve banned synthetic colors — like FDC Red No. 3, Red No. 40, and Yellow No. 5 — in all the food we sell. 

So, when a new standard is created across the industry, then this is a win not just for us at Whole Foods Market, but a win for our suppliers, community and the environment.

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