Despite clear efforts to differentiate the front and back-of-house operations, Whole Foods is still expanding its assortment beyond its core offering. Will this work as well as anticipated?

Whole Foods has recalled 1-pound packages of organic ground beef due to the potential for E-Coli.

Whole Foods Market’s Small Bites Macaroni & Cheese has been recalled due to an undeclared allergen.

Say goodbye to Whole Foods’ reusable bag credit after almost 20 years.

A Whole Foods store in Philadelphia saw workers vote in favor of joining a labor union.

At a virtual meeting in December, Whole Foods implored suppliers to lower costs on packaged groceries as inflation moderates. Do grocers have the leverage it takes to strong-arm their suppliers into reducing prices?

An Amazon Fresh is not coming to a neighborhood near you just yet. The company will delay opening new Fresh stores until it figures out how to differentiate the locations from established competitors in the market. How do you evaluate Amazon’s strengths and weaknesses in the grocery vertical?

A grocer in Utah is opening a store that aspires to focus on meal prep instead of just selling groceries, guiding customers to cook creatively with a limited number of locally produced ingredients. Will a grocer with a stripped-down inventory, dedicated to helping customers with meal prep, succeed in the long run?

Speaking at The Wall Street Journal’s Global Food Forum, Jason Buechel said one of his goals as the next CEO of Whole Foods Market is “to reconnect to many parts of our heritage as a company.” What advice would you have for Jason Buechel as he prepares to take over as CEO of Whole Foods?

Whole Foods Market stores in Los Angeles are giving customers the option of paying for their groceries using their palms. Do you see biometric payment technology such as Amazon One being widely accepted by retailers and customers alike?

Some big name grocers have been closing store locations against the backdrop of record-breaking inflation. Do you think inflation has played a role in recent store closures?

Amazon just implemented its biometric palm reader at a Whole Foods location in a new market, making it look more like Amazon sees palm reading in Whole Foods’ future nationwide. Will palm-based identification become a necessary or significantly used part of Just Walk Out technology, or is it a bridge too far for most customers?

Meijer is holding its first ever Sustainable Supplier Summit, a virtual meeting that will give select attendees an opportunity to meet remotely with buyers in the appropriate department to discuss their products. Do you think a virtual summit like this is a good move for grocers who want to find new, sustainable products?

Meijer is offering free deliveries of groceries on orders of $35 or more through Jan. 29 in an attempt to support customers who may be unable to shop at its stores or reluctant to do so as a result of the Omicron variant’s spread. Will Meijer’s free delivery gesture lead to higher net promoter scores or increased use of home delivery beyond Jan. 29?

Amazon.com is launching new curbside-recyclable insulated packaging that the company says does away with the need to use bubble bags or plastic liners.  Do you expect Amazon’s new packaging to be popular with its customers?

Walmart wants everyone to know that, as of today, Amazon.com is adding $9.95 to grocery deliveries from its Whole Foods stores.  Do you see Amazon’s delivery fee for Whole Foods as an opportunity for Walmart to convert some Prime members to Walmart+?

Being an Amazon.com Prime member will no longer get you free two-hour deliveries from Whole Foods Market beginning on October 25. What will be the net effect of Amazon.com’s decision to charge Prime members for home deliveries from Whole Foods?

Two new Whole Foods Market stores scheduled to open next year will be set up with Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology to enable customers to shop without having to stop at a physical checkout stand. What are the potential and limitations of Amazon’s Just Walk Out and similar technologies to provide cashierless experiences in stores?

Amazon.com is currently offering free two-hour deliveries of grocery orders from Whole Foods at no additional charge to Prime members. That, Bloomberg reports, is about to change. In what ways do you expect Prime members to react to Amazon’s $9.95 delivery fee for delivery orders placed with Whole Foods?

Whole Foods Market announced last week an organizational realignment that includes fully centralizing product buying. Does shifting to centralized buying offer more benefits or risks for Whole Foods?

Whole Foods Market announced a partnership with meditation platform Headspace to help customers reprioritize their physical and mental well-being “by tapping into positive moods associated with certain foods.” What do you think of retailers and brands offering meditation content and mindfulness tips to consumers?

It’s been more than three and a half years since Amazon.com’s acquired Whole Foods. While many of the worst predicted fears have not come to pass, some of the expected improvements have also failed to materialize.  Which aspects of the Whole Foods’ shopping experience appear to have improved versus becoming worse under Amazon’s ownership?

Lowe’s, Whole Foods and Dunkin’ are bringing some innovative approaches to driving in-store and online engagement for Valentine’s Day, despite the ongoing pandemic. Which of the Valentine’s Day campaigns cited in the article do you think is most likely to be effective in light of the current challenges facing these companies?

When Whole Foods CEO John Mackey makes a visit to one of his chain’s stores, he withholds criticism as much as possible and recommends that others in similar positions do the same. Do you agree with Mr. Mackey about the need to first establish trust with employees before giving criticism?

Grocers shuttered self-serve stations due to germ-spread concerns after the pandemic’s arrival. And grab-and-go meals have not been as in as much demand this year. What are the best options for grocers looking to repurpose their salad and hot bars?

Whole Foods announced today that free, one-hour grocery pickup is now available at all of its U.S. locations to Amazon Prime members.  Do you expect Whole Foods’ curbside pickup program to be successful in attracting more Prime members to shop at the grocery chain?

Amazon Prime delivery shoppers are reportedly crowding aisles, emptying shelves, ignoring safety rules and bothering busy associates as they scurry around Whole Foods stores fulfilling online orders. Do you see the increased presence of pick and pack shoppers in aisles putting a bigger strain on associates or customers in stores?

Whole Foods co-founder and CEO John Mackey says the chain and its parent company (Amazon.com) are serious about ridding the grocery chain of its “Whole Paycheck” image.  Is being perceived as price-competitive a necessity for Whole Foods to continue growing its store footprint nationally?

Amazon.com could be entering a new phase of its e-grocery business as it opens its first dark store dedicated to Whole Foods’ e-grocery fulfillment. What should it signal to retailers that Amazon considers a dedicated dark store to be a good strategic move for Whole Foods?

Goya and Whole Foods are two brands currently facing boycotts in today’s politically-charged climate. Two new surveys indicate that consumer boycotts are becoming more pervasive. What is driving the apparent rise in boycotts of retailers and brands?

Supermarket chains have stepped up during the COVID-19 pandemic with added safety measures, pay and benefits to support frontline workers. But a new analysis by Oxfam concludes they haven’t done enough. Do you agree or disagree with Oxfam’s analysis that large grocery chain operators are not doing enough for frontline workers?

Costco last week became the first major retailer to require that all customers wear face coverings. Should stores require, recommend or forgo policies regarding wearing masks inside stores amid the pandemic?

Amazon reported higher revenues and lower earnings during the first quarter. The results were expected as the e-tailing and tech giant saw sales demand and expenses increase as it sought to keep up as the novel coronavirus crossed the U.S. How well do you think Amazon has responded to the coronavirus outbreak in comparison to its “essential” retailing peers?

It is critical that grocery stores remain open during the coronavirus pandemic, yet they are a significant vector for the transmission of the novel coronavirus, putting customers and especially staff at risk. Do you think more supermarkets will convert to pickup and delivery-only operations?

The surge of online grocery adoption due to the coronavirus pandemic has led to slowdowns and stock-outs from the once untouchable Amazon.com. Will wait-listing new customers and converting Whole Foods locations to online fulfillment centers allow Amazon to get on top of its e-grocery demands?

This is a stressful time for retail managers and employees as they go about trying to meet the demands of a frightened public while at the same time dealing with concerns for their own personal health. What should retail management be doing to help store associates and warehouse workers deal with the stress they are under in the current coronavirus emergency?

Earlier this week, Whole Foods and Amazon announced that they would begin paying workers an additional $2 an hour on top of their current rates, until the end of April. Amazon and Whole Foods offer a minimum hourly wage of $15. Will Amazon and Whole Foods come out of the coronavirus viewed as more or less attractive places to work?

Reckless expansion and heightened competition for natural and organic foods were factors behind the recent bankruptcies of Fairway, Earth Fare and Lucky’s Market, but each chain faced unique challenges. What common themes do you see behind the bankruptcies of Fairway, Lucky’s Market and Earth Fare?

According to Explorado Market co-founder Rob Benson, traditional grocers stocking keto products are unable to keep up with the demand from customers. Do you think that dietary trends such as ketogenic eating can support their own specialty grocery stores in select markets or perhaps even on a broader scale?

Good grocery store experiences can be worth telling the world about, and some fans of major grocery chains are doing just that, bringing their enthusiasm to social media — without financial support from the retailers. Is it wise for grocery stores to inspire customers to start blogs, Facebook groups and the like that communicate about their brand?

Only a year after launching its Jet City Grocery fresh food delivery service in New York City, Jet.com’s parent company, Walmart, is ending the experiment. What can retailers learn from the Jet City Grocery failure and how might they apply it to their own fresh delivery initiatives?

A new report confirmed by Amazon reveals that it will open a grocery store in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles next year. The posting suggests that the store will operate under a banner other than Whole Foods. If you were in charge of the decision at Amazon, what type of grocery store would you open?

Amazon.com just added more perks for Prime. The e-tail giant has dropped the $14.99 monthly charge for grocery deliveries from Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods and added free, two-hour grocery deliveries. Will the addition of free grocery deliveries prompt large numbers of Prime members to use the service?

For the fifth straight year, Whole Foods Market has come out with its top 10 list of most anticipated and innovative food trends for the coming year. Which 2020 food trends on Whole Foods’ list offer the biggest opportunity for food retailers?

One key to success that Lidl undoubtedly knew before coming to America is happy associates. Now, the chain has announced that it will allow all associates to participate in the company’s health insurance plan. How important will Lidl’s medical benefits program be as a recruiting tool for new employees?

A new grocer may be debuting on the national grocery stage after years as a successful local player in Southern California — with some help from a private equity firm. Does playing ball with private equity put the company at risk in the long term?

Whole Foods has decided that employees working under 30 hours a week will no longer be eligible to participate in its medical benefits program. Will the decision by Whole Foods to cut medical benefits for employees working fewer than 30 hours per week hurt the chain’s reputation as an employer?

Amazon had planned to open 56 Go locations by the end of 2019 and 156 by the end of 2020, according to a report discussed on The Verge. Amazon has in fact opened only 15 Go stores, all located in major metropolitan areas. To what factor or factors do you attribute the slower-than-expected expansion of Amazon Go?

If Amazon implements its latest high-tech checkout innovation at Whole Foods, customers won’t need to pull out a credit card — a wave of the hand will do the trick. The solution uses hand-based identification to facilitate payment. What advantages/disadvantages might hand recognition have over other methods of enhanced checkout?

Whole Foods has been among the retail industry leaders when it comes to introducing plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products. But CEO John Mackey is not a fan of meatless meat. Does Mr. Mackey’s assessment of the nutritional value of plant-based meat alternatives undermine Whole Foods’s strategy to sell these products?