Whole Foods
Open Food Facts brand roll-up for Whole Foods, current as of September 2026. Screening averages and flag shares live in the short-answer band below. This hero only situates the catalog slice.
The short answer
Whole Foods averages 99.7/100 across the 136 of 986 tracked products that carry an ingredient list, and 4.4% of those contain at least one separately flagged ingredient. The figure summarizes Open Food Facts labels cross-referenced with FDA SAFFA and CSPI; it does not establish recall status, allergy suitability, or the composition of products outside this snapshot.
- 99.7/100
- average ingredient-screening score across 136 scored products
- 986
- tracked products in this brand roll-up
- 4.4%
- scored products with at least one flagged ingredient
- 53.4%
- of NOVA-classified products that are ultra-processed (Group 4)
Source snapshot current as of September 2026; open individual products before making a product-specific decision.
Portfolio reading
Use the distribution, then open the outliers
With 986 tracked products, the useful signal is the shape of the portfolio rather than one headline score. The current concern-sorted list begins Peanut butter cup & caramel ice cream, peanut butter cup & caramel; Caramel & sea salt italian gelato; Butter cookies & sweet cream italian gelato; 4.4% of records contain at least one flagged ingredient while the overall mean is 99.7/100. Open those outliers first, then compare neighboring formulations. The aggregate does not establish recall status, allergen suitability, or the composition of an item outside this snapshot.
Catalog evidence
Ingredient-list coverage comes before the score
Only 136 of 986 tracked Whole Foods records (13.8%) include an ingredient list. The remaining 850 cannot be screened, so the 99.7/100 mean describes the labelled subset rather than the whole brand.
Next check: use the product rows below to verify the labelled subset, then compare the current package for any unscored item.
What the Data Says About Whole Foods
Whole Foods: 986 products tracked, 136 with an ingredient list, avg safety score 99.7/100, 4.4% of those scored products has at least one flagged ingredient.
Because ingredient lists cover only 13.8% of tracked records, this average is a description of the labelled subset, not a brand-wide tier. The coverage gap is the dominant limitation. Scoring methodology + dye-pledge context →
Among the 804 brands with 50+ products (the typical brand in that group flags 18% of its catalog), Whole Foods's 4.4% flagged share is 13.6 points below that cohort median.
Processing mix (NOVA)
Whole Foods processing intensity
Whole Foods's NOVA-classified set is 118 products: 53.4% ultra-processed (Group 4, 63 items) with Group 4 (ultra-processed) largest at 63. That ultra-processed share sits 24.9 points below the 78.3% median for 1,323 brands with 50+ products. NOVA is processing intensity, not additive safety.
Shelf mix
Where Whole Foods shows up in Open Food Facts
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Whole Foods concentrates in Plant-based foods and beverages (52, 47% of this top-five); Snacks (26); Farming products (12); Dairies (11); Condiments (10).
Average score by leading shelf label
| Shelf | Scored n | Avg | Flagged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plant-based foods and beverages | 34 | 100/100 | 0% |
| Snacks | 21 | 100/100 | 0% |
| Dairies | 10 | 100/100 | 0% |
| Condiments | 9 | 100/100 | 0% |
| Meals | 6 | 100/100 | 0% |
Cohort context
Flagged-ingredient share among large brands
Whole Foods's 4.4% flagged share is measured across 136 scored products. The chart places that rate against the 50 brands with 50+ scored products in this snapshot, the same qualifying cohort used on the rankings page.
Whole Foods flagged share vs large-brand cohort
4.4% of scored products carry at least one flagged ingredient
4% 0th percentile is at or above the flagged share of 0% of the 50 qualifying brands we track
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more qualifying brands. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Distribution as text
- 0%–10%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 10%–20%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 20%–30%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 30%–40%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 40%–50%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 50%–60%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 60%–70%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 70%–80%
- 3 qualifying brands (6%)
- 80%–90%
- 25 qualifying brands (50%)
- 90% and above
- 22 qualifying brands (44%)
Source Open Food Facts × FDA SAFFA × CSPI · September 2026
Portfolio shape
How scores cluster inside this brand
The brand average (99.7/100) summarizes 136 scored products. This distribution shows whether that mean sits on a tight cluster or a wide spread, a few low-scoring SKUs can matter even when the headline average looks strong.
Whole Foods product score distribution
Brand average 99.7/100 across 136 scored products
100 2nd percentile sits above 2% of the 136 scored products we track
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more scored products. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Distribution as text
- 90–100
- 6 scored products (4%)
- 100 and above
- 130 scored products (96%)
Source Open Food Facts product labels × FDA SAFFA × CSPI · September 2026
Whole Foods relies most on Caramel Coloring, an industry staple
Across the 136 Whole Foods products scored here, Caramel Coloring appears in 5. It is used by 3,551 other brands in this database (10.1% of them), so its presence says more about the category than about this brand. A flag records that a named source raised a concern about an ingredient. It is not a finding that a product is unsafe to eat.
| Flagged ingredient | Whole Foods products | Why it is flagged |
|---|---|---|
| Caramel Coloring | 5 | Restricted: California (Prop 65 warning for 4-MEI) |
| Carrageenan | 2 | Concern recorded by a review body; no ban cited |
Counts are products in this database whose ingredient list names the flagged ingredient. Flags come from FDA enforcement actions, CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings and US state ingredient laws; see the methodology for how each source is applied.
Visible product sample
Label complexity does not determine the screening result
Each point is one of the 50 concern-sorted Whole Foods records shown below. Horizontal position is the number of resolved ingredients on that product's stored label; vertical position is its source-derived screening score. The dashed medians (12 ingredients and 100/100) divide this displayed sample only. A longer label is not automatically worse: open a specific product to inspect its flagged rows and source coverage.
- Shown records
- 50
- Median label
- 12 ingredients
- Median score
- 100/100
The outlined point is Peanut butter cup & caramel ice cream, peanut butter cup & caramel, the displayed record with the most flagged ingredients (2). Bubble size represents flagged ingredient count plus one, so zero-flagged products remain visible. The score is derived from FDA SAFFA and CSPI fields; this chart does not establish recall status, dietary suitability, or a health outcome.
Read the plotted values
- Peanut butter cup & caramel ice cream, peanut butter cup & caramel: 39 resolved ingredients, 90/100, 2 flagged.
- Caramel & sea salt italian gelato: 22 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Butter cookies & sweet cream italian gelato: 21 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Zero Calorie Cola: 7 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Ice Cream Sandwich: 35 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Salmon teriyaki bowl brown rice: 26 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Thai-Style Coconut Curry Chicken: 44 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Organic White Bread: 12 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Burger buns: 14 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Food Sourced Vitamin C: 30 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Berry Medley: 4 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Chocolate truffles: 7 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Ginger snap cookies: 17 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Blood Orange: 7 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Organic whole leaf 365: 1 resolved ingredient, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Tangerine italian soda: 10 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese: 5 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Organic almond milk vanilla flavor: 19 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Organic Mediterranean Blend: 5 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Dark Chocolate Pear Almond: 12 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Organic peppermint herbal tea: 1 resolved ingredient, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Semi Sweet Chocolate (baking chips): 7 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Whole foods market, italian soda, lime: 7 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Classic White Sandwich Bread: 17 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Traditional Panettone: 22 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Whole foods market, greek yogurt, strawberry: 15 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Organic 2% plain low fat yogurt: 7 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Outdoor Access Large White Grade A Eggs: 1 resolved ingredient, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Quick Cook Steel Cut Oats: 1 resolved ingredient, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Blanched Shelled Edamame Soybeans: 1 resolved ingredient, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Pumpkin & Sage Farro Pilaf: 15 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Chocolate brownies: 32 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Lemon Hummus: 10 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Brioche Baguettes: 21 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Organic dark chocolate bar: 4 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Flour & corn tortillas, flour & corn: 12 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Organic multigrain sandwich bread: 28 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Organic Ancient Grains Sandwich Bread: 28 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Halves and Pieces Walnuts: 1 resolved ingredient, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Red lentil gluten free spaghetti: 1 resolved ingredient, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Mung Bean Gluten Free Fusilli: 1 resolved ingredient, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Gummy Bears: 19 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Panettone: 45 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Organic jalapeño Monterey Jack chicken sausage: 19 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Hemp seed: 1 resolved ingredient, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Organic brown flaxseed: 1 resolved ingredient, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Organic spicy harissa mayonnaise: 21 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Traditional dijon mustard, traditional: 4 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Organic pomegranate apple cider vinaigrette: 16 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
- Grade a 1% lowfat milk: 3 resolved ingredients, 100/100, 0 flagged.
Products by Whole Foods
Showing 50 display-quality records, sorted by concern level (most flagged first); 936 tracked records with unusable upstream names remain in the aggregate but are not shown.
Nationwide brands with similar catalog profiles
Two PlainFoodSafe-derived peer sets for Whole Foods: closest on tracked product count (986 here) and closest on average ingredient screening score (99.7/100 here). Rows stay link-disjoint so each axis is a distinct neighborhood, not a largest-catalog strip.
Similar product count
Nearest other brands by Open Food Facts product count (floored at ≥50).
Similar average screening score
Nearest other brands by average ingredient screening score (floored at ≥50 scored products), distinct from the count row.
Counts and averages from Open Food Facts labels screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine; neither axis is a health outcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Whole Foods food safe? ▼
Whole Foods has an average safety score of 100/100 across the 136 of 986 tracked products that carry an ingredient list. 4.4% of those contain flagged ingredients.
How many Whole Foods products are tracked? ▼
Our database tracks 986 Whole Foods products. 136 include an ingredient list and can be screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI data; 850 cannot be scored from this snapshot.
How processed is the Whole Foods catalog? ▼
Whole Foods has 118 NOVA-classified products; 53.4% are ultra-processed (Group 4, 63 items) and Group 4 is the largest slice. NOVA describes processing intensity, not whether additives on a label are flagged.
Which shelves dominate the Whole Foods catalog? ▼
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Whole Foods concentrates in Plant-based foods and beverages (52, 47% of this top-five); Snacks (26); Farming products (12); Dairies (11); Condiments (10).
Does Whole Foods use artificial dyes? ▼
Open the individual product pages below to see which Whole Foods items list a synthetic dye on their label. For whether the company has committed to removing dyes, the FDA and CSPI both publish corporate-commitment trackers; we no longer restate those commitments here.
What to do with this Whole Foods profile
Use this roll-up as orientation, then verify the specific package you hold against its ingredient panel and the named official sources.
- Start with Peanut butter cup & caramel ice cream, peanut butter cup & caramel, the displayed product with the most flagged ingredients (2) in this sample. Open the outlier product
- Caramel Coloring appears in 5 scored Whole Foods products, review why each source flags it before treating the brand average as uniform. Review flagged ingredient counts
- Compare Whole Foods's 99.7/100 average and 4.4% flagged share against other brands before treating either figure as a recall or clearance signal. Brand safety rankings
- Cross-check any additive concern against FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine rather than relying on this derived index alone. Scoring methodology
A flagged ingredient records a source concern, not a recall, ban, or medical clearance. Always verify the current package label and consult official sources for product-specific decisions.
Citation & disclaimer notes
Brand scores aggregate ingredient-level FDA SAFFA + CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings across Open Food Facts product data. See our methodology. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFoodSafe.Disclaimer: Informational purposes only; not professional advice. A flagged ingredient is not a recall or a ban. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Every figure on PlainFoodSafe is rendered directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no number is typed in by an editor. Brand figures are computed directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2026.
