To come up with our winning chains, our expert panel (meet them below) reviewed the 35 largest food retailers across the country and selected the absolute healthiest, based on everything from the freshness of produce and taste of prepared foods to the healthiness of packaged goods and availability of supplemental nutritional information.
Who helped us choose the best? We turned to these top health experts and foodies:
Kate Geagan, MS, RD, is a nutrition consultant to companies and author of Go Green, Get Lean: Trim Your Waistline with the Ultimate Low Carbon Diet.
Alan Greene, MD, is a clinical professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine, president of The Organic Center, and author of Raising Baby Green.
Frances Largeman-Roth, RD, is the senior food and nutrition editor at Health. Her first book, Feed the Belly, an eating guide for expectant moms, will be published in spring 2009.
Linda McDonald, MS, RD, is a dietitian-nutritionist and owner of Supermarket Savvy, a resource for health and culinary professionals.
Christine Palumbo, RD, is a nutritionist who serves on the American Dietetic Association Board of Directors.
Lisa R. Pawloski, PhD, is chair of the department of global and community health at George Mason University’s College of Health and Human Services.
Comments (71)
WHO ARE THE HEALTHEST GROCERY STORES TO SHOP AT??
I LIVE IN CAPE CORAL, FL. WAITING TO HEAR FROM
YOU! THANKING YOU IN ADVANCE!
Where is Wegman’s or Stop & Shop on the list of grocers? I’m here in NJ and I find that both Stop & Shop and Wegman’s do a better job than Pathmark… The Pathmark’s near me are not as up-to-date and sparkling clean like Stop & Shop’s or Wegman’s…
What are the names of the the other 25 stores that were judged.. I was a resident of the northeast for 48 years, now a resident of Floruda and let me tell you, Publix and especially Food Lion can’t even compare with Shop Rite Supermarkets for the healthy food choices that are available to consumers. Take a look at there prepared and appetizer food departments. GREAT quality and extremely healthy choices !!!!
I’m disappointed that you included stores that sell items with hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. Only Trader Joes and Whole Foods are safe in that regard.
LOVE LOVE LOVE Whole Foods. Please build one in Juneau Alaska!!!!!!
Whole Foods is not safe from High Fructose Corn Syrup–both they and Trader Joe’s sell items with it in them. Only natural foods chains like Earth Fare in the Southeast and PCC Markets in the North West have banned High Fructose Corn Syrup from their shelves.
Glad to see Troy mentioning PCC Markets, which I was really surprised didn’t make the list. Great stores and all organic markets.
What about the Northwest? You didn’t mention New Seasons Market in Portland, Oregon. You also didn’t mention the other 25 stores that were judged. The chain stores that you did choose are not in the same league with New Seasons Market. Trader Joes & Whole Foods are the only 2 that are close in comparison to New Seasons. You may want to do a little more research & try again.
I am surprised and disappointed that Wegmans is not on this list. I live in their home city of Rochester NY and shop there every week. Wegmans is to be congratulated for their wonderful philosophy of “Every Day We Give Our Best”. This comes through with their products, services, employees, and their committment to health and well being. I would invite the judges to come to any of the Wegman’s stores to see and experience what many of us enjoy as a standard in food shopping.
What about Meijer stores? They have the most organic and vegetarian choices I have seen next to Whole Foods in the Midwest.
It would be interesting to see your list of criteria in determining the healthiest food retailers.
It’s surprising not to see Wegmans on the list. They’ve got entire sections of well-marked organic foods, large signs for locally grown produce (and in some cases meat) and the store within a store — Nature’s Marketplace, which carries all those high-priced, gluton-free and natural foods.
We don’t have to get into their prepared foods, which are always fresh, and their build-your-own stations for sandwichs and salads. All of them are well stocked.
Having been to several of the listed stores and I maintain Danny’s got the right idea. The only reason I can guess it was omitted was because its a regional store.
I agree with Peter. You do NOT want to shop at the Pathmarks in NJ — Wegman’s is far superior. What about King’s? Stop & Shop is also good.
These results are suspect — how were the stores judged? How do 6 judges make this kind of pronouncement? Based on actual research, or just tabulating information provided by the stores?
More accurate reporting from CNN!
I totally agree with Lizz. New Seasons is far superior to Whole Foods and Trader Joes when it comes to providing fresh, organic products - especially produce. Since the NW is the mecca of organic and healthy eating and lifestyle, I am shocked New Seasons wasn’t on the list.
I think this article is worthless unelss the publish the precise criteria and the scores of both the stores that made the list and the ones that don’t. My experience in NJ echoes that of previous posters — Wegmans, Stop and Shop and Shop Rite all outperform Pathmark.
Methodology was awful. Organic doesn’t mean healthy, especially in non fruit/vegetable categories. Fresher is likely better for vitamin content. Granola for example, contains a lot of fat and sugar. It’s better than a cake, but if you need to watch calories and fat, there are better choices. Price for produce should also have been a factor, as it has to be affordable to buy it. I agree with Shoprite being better than Pathmark and more affordable
Hands down it’s Kimberton Whole Foods in Kimberton, PA. Downingtown, PA and Douglasville, PA!!! Not to be confused with Whole Foods, they actually had the name first when Whole Foods was still called Fresh Fields. The Kimberton Store is the best because it has a Café and gift shop. If you are ever in the area, stop in. You’ll see my wife spending all our money
The healthiest store I shop at is in Portland Oregon…called New Seasons Market….they have multiple locations and are sustainable and buy locally too.
Additional Comment: If a store is not buying locally and making more smog to bring food from far away, that isn’t healthy…Buy locally.
There are eight (8) New Seasons Markets in the Portland, Oregon metro area. Physically, they are not as large as Whole Foods but they are very close. They are far superior than either Whole Foods or Trader Joes, both of which have multiple stores in the area.
New Seasons’ sell the same organic options offered at Whole Foods but are less expensive and emphasize buying local.
Go to any New Seasons at lunch time or on the weekends and they are packed. They are outperforming all other grocery chains here.
Further, New Seasons makes an attempt to address customers with serious nut allergies. Something the local Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Safeway, etc., make no effort to address.
Food Lion? Which store did they check? The one near me has a lousy choice of fresh fruit and veggies, The one and only time I shopped at Pathmark, I thought it was a dirty store and I have never been back to one since. Where is Wegman’s? I think that is one of the best stores around.
I’ve shopped at almost all of those on your list and Wegmanns beats them all. Nobody buys more local than Wegmanns. Maybe they were not big enough to make the list? Wegmanns also has the happiest, most helpful staff of any store of any kind including electronics, department, you name it, that I’ve ever shopped at.
Frank
I wouldn’t trade at any of these stores — these judges apparently have never been in a Fresh Market store!!!!
You forgot Bristol Farms…
This list is rediculous - Food Lion? Super Target? Are you kidding me? Does Super Target even bring in local produce? Wegmans should definitely be at the top of this list.
I have a big problem with some of the statements in the article:
“There’s also hard-to-find grass-fed meats, ready-to-cook organic and free-range chicken, and a well-stocked selection of just-caught seafood.”
I can believe these things are healthier, but I don’t think they’ve been proven to be healthier. So I don’t know how reliable your health experts are. It sounds like they’re just giving anecdotal advice.
I hate to stand out like a sore thumb, but I think you are ALL deluded! All this organic junk is just a way to charge people more. People who call vegetables “veggies” to make them sound like cute puppies make me suspicious. I am 67 and in perfect health; my blood pressure is usually about 127/58, my cholesterol is 180, I don’t take any pills but an occasional aspirin, and I have never eaten an organic thing in my life. Neither did my Mom who lived on mashed potatoes and gravy, with lemon meringue pie, and died suddenly at 87. I believe that exercise, love of life, and good genes mean 100 times more than all this ridiculous “health food” madness! Some day people will laugh at how their ancestors were bilked of their grocery money! It’s a fad that has become a religion to Fitness Freaks! (Most of whom die before everybody in my family.)
WHAT FOOD LION STORES DID YOU CHECK??? I AGREE 100% WITH DONNA’S COMMENT ABOVE. THE FOOD LIONS IN THIS AREA ARE THE PITS!!! NOT ALWAYS CLEAN AND THE EMPLOYEES ARE DENSE HALF THE PRODUCTS AREN’T MARKED AS TO PRICE. AND THEIR HEADQUARTERS ARE IN THIS STATE.
WHY ISN’T STOP & SHOP ON THE LIST NEVER BEEN IN ONE YET THAT WASN’T CLEAN AND FRESH WITH LOTS OF VARITY.
To those upset about your favorite store being left out, how many read the part of the article that says “To come up with our winning chains, our expert panel (meet them below) reviewed the 35 largest food retailers across the country…”? It’s only the first sentence of the article.
Wegman’s, for example, only has 72 stores according to their website.
i can’t speak about the other stores that sell healthy foods but don’t make trader joe’s sound like a saint either!
trader joes sells a lot of other compnays stuff under traders labels. not all of the compnaies are msg in fact if you look at a lot of traders frozen and canned foods many have one form of the msg name in ingerdients. msg is allowed to be called various names by the fda. so don’t be fooled or lead to follow . it’s possible some of these researchers may have more to gain them a simple story…..
Wegman’s couldn’t have even been on the list as, if it were, it would be very closely behind Whole Foods. Wegman’s, as Steve pointed out, must not have met the criteria. ;-(
Your list is a joke. Wegmans does not carry cigarettes, Pathmark does. Real healthy.
You also forgot Fresh and Easy!!!
How old is your data? Most of the stores are on the East Coast and Midwest. They have been open for a year and have as of tomorrow 100 stores open in So CA, Vegas and Pheonix. The products in the F&E label have no artifical flavors or preservatives.
http://www.freshandeasy.com
Where is there any research that shows you will be healthier if you eat organically raised foods? They generally cost more, with no known health benefits. To perpetuate the myth, which benefits a huge organic foods marketing strategy, is a disservice to people with limited dollars to spend on food. MORE fruits and vegetables should be the emphasis, not organic fruits and vegetables with no known benefit.
A second myth is that locally grown produce is “fresher”. Freshness is most dependent on post-harvest handling. How quickly was the product cooled after harvest? How was it stored? From a nutritional perspective, a one week old head of broccoli shipped 2000 miles could easily be more nutritious than something harvestd yesterday but handled improperly. The unfortunate reality is that the larger farms, mostly in California, usually have the infrastructure to do a better job than the local tw-acre grower.
THX Billciti for some real wisdom about some things that are so true, no one wants to admit, let alone discuss.
Along with those who have been appalled that Food Lion is on the list… Right ON, Why, HOW in God’s name (remember the ABC (CBS?) undercover of a decade ago???
As for Whole Foods, I always get this creepy feeling when shopping there that they aren’t telling us every thing. Such as how do you prove all of your “organic”, “natural” claims???
Not to mention that for awhile I was barely able to afford your prices, your pretiousness (sp) , and pomposity, unfortunately no longer got the bucks (had some really good years “01 to ‘07) let alone, what about 290 million other Americans who want to shop and eat “HEALTHY?
Thx Maggie for saying it well, better than I could have.
What about Earth Fare? The produce is much better than Harris Teeter! And how did Target make the list! Really - I don’t think the judges took this topic seriously - seriously!
KW
As a regular shopper at Fresh Market, I believe it has all of these beat. I can’t even imagine how Target or Pathmark (both of which border on ‘inner-city chic’ in certain areas) come close to Fresh Market.
Your mistake was to look at the big chains and ignore the wonderful markets in local areas. Here in Seattle, the PCC Markets reign high with many restrictions on foods and packaging that are dangerous for consumers. Also Madison Market. I happened to be in Safeway recently (to restock earthquake kits) and had to laugh at the organic sections surrounded by shelf after shelf of junk food and processed foods. It is obvious that many of the large chain markets you listed are after the dollars associated with organics not really concerned about the health of their consumers.
Are you kidding me suggesting Safeway! My son worked there and he had to clean up rat feces and chase them out of the store. You have no idea whats in the soup aisle.
You forgot to mention New Seasons market which is superior to Whole Foods which is extremely expensive.
Clearly, none of the judges have ever been in a Harris Teeter. They have some of the lowest health standards I’ve ever seen. Many of the fruits and vegetables are moldy or covered in gnats in the produce section. The “Green Thumb” expert sounds like a myth (like Yeti). Also, it’s up to 50% more expensive than Whole Foods in some areas.
The panel obviously didn’t visit typical stores for the mediocre chains they included. Generally, the list is perplexing in that Fresh Market, Wegman’s, HEB, and Raley’s are likely all among the largest 35, yet were somehow ignored.
For future surveys, you may find it more valuable to consider revenue per store for the chains instead of # of stores.
Wegmans is the best! If your list does not include Wegmans then you didn’t do your job. In all my travels across the US there isn’t a store that can compare with Wegmans. They are the best.
Why wasn’t Wegmans on the list? They have been at the forefront of buying local produce for years. They have some of the best fresh-baked breads in the country. They specialize in packaging high-quality foods so that they are almost as conveneient as fast food. They have large sections of organic foods.
I was disappointed to find whole food as your first choice.
The quality of thier fresh vegetables and fruit is often very poor, many products do not indicate the country of origins or, if they do, it takes a tresure hunt to find it.
Their prices are so high that I often wonder why should I pay for chinese frozen broccoli more than what I pay for fresh USA made product sold next door
Epic Fail.
What a joke - Super Target? Bwahahahahahah.
Wegmans should be at the top of the list. Obviously the judges are a bunch of biased shills.
Hey Steve, do your homework before moving your lips. According to Supermarket News, Wegmans is ranked #32 and Harris Teeter is ranted #40. I love the unmoderated boards, any jamoke with a keyboard can act like a complete fool and spew disinformation and misinformation. Read the facts for yourself:
http://supermarketnews.com/profiles/top75/
I suggest Health.com do their homework as well.
I agree with the many others, Wegmans is by far superior in health foods. They even mail out a recipe magazine, free! Many healthy recipes appear in this magazine. They keep their stores very clean and provide the best in produce, organic, and even health section with cereals, juices, makeup, etc. It is extremely convenient to shop there.
On healthy food markets. What happened to Wegmans, Rochester, NY.
Seems that everyone has their biases, but when it comes to quantity and quality of all natural and organic food offerings HEB/CENTRAL MARKET have to be in the conversation. They are a Texas chain of grocery stores that is outstanding in every regad!! If you’re ever in Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Corpus Christi, Laredo, etc. Give them a try!
This kind of study should be more in-depth and look at a company’s sustainabile practices, such as buying from local farms (i.e.New Seasons in Portland, OR.)as well as broken down by regional grocers. This effort is way too generic and broadbrush a study to help consumers make an educated desicion. Please try again.
Hi everyone,
Thanks for your comments. Wegmans was not a large enough chain to make the official list, although our judges raved about it. Read their review here: http://living.health.com/2008/10/19/wegmans-the-next-whole-foods/
I share the genuine suprise of many other readers that Wegmans is not included in the list. In terms of freshness and variety of products, Wegmans is hardly comparable to Safeway or Whole Foods, the later being the most overrated store in my opinion. The quality of Whole Foods products is far from superb, comes at a high price premium supposedly justified by a quality differential, but my experience (at least in the Washington DC area) has been far from satisfactory in terms of freshness.
In response to the comment on the size of food retailers, Wegmans has been a top 20 chain for some time now. For details you may want to consult the latest FMI statistics at:
http://www.fmi.org/docs/facts_figs/faq/top_retailers.pdf.
I’d love to know how Whole Foods gets away with labeling some of their bakery items as “whole wheat”. I’ve complained to the bakery manager and the store manager….who both agreed that its mislabled, yet, all they said to do was for me to email whole foods on their website. Nothing has been changed.
Amanda, I’d love to see this “official” list you have referenced. I would have thought that an FMI or Supermarket News ranking would be somewhat official. The Supermarket News ranking is based on estimated revenues. What was the list for this report based on? I’m just not a big fan of bad and/or misinformation being circulated over the internet.
I noticed that none of these judges has a degree in economics, or common sense for that matter. Whole Paycheck (as we like to call it) may be healthy but it is the most expensive store on the planet! The average American family can’t afford to shop there on a once a month basis, much less weekly. I mean really, when food prices have risen 40% in 12 months and unlike gas, show no signs of going down, how can you justify going to a store that is on the average 20% higher than the average store. You want fresh, plant a small garden out back but dont go to that store. Whole Paycheck will suck up your whole paycheck faster than the SUV driven by those nuts that shop there (yet never go off road) sucks gas. Oh, and Trader Joes is just the same. They should of rated ONLY real supermarkets that carry food at a reasonable price.
Did these judges even come to Colorado and look at a local Kroger chain called King Soopers? They do a wonderful job with natural and organic foods - all over the store intergrated right in with the rest of the regular items?
Is there a list of grocery chains they actually went and looked at?
Albertson’s here in the Denver market is by far the WORST for natural and organic foods. their prices are the highest in the market and their sections are always empty.
I am happy to see that Wegman’s was NOT excluded because of their quality. I am a huge Wegman’s fan. In fact, I drive much farther from my home (past several King’s, Shop Rites, and others) to go to Wegman’s. We love to cook and are willing to pay a big premium for better quality food. In my opinion, this type of ranking is meaningless (kind of like declaring the best “towns” to live in). The threshold has to be so high to be meaningful to the entire national population…that the results end of being worthless to the average individual–particularly in the higher-end goods and services. High quality towns, grocery stores and the like will never make these silly lists. Most big chains are just not that consistent (except some luxury hotel chains like the Ritz Carlton). Next we’ll see the list of best pizza joints, with Dominos and Pizza Hut at the top…..none of your favorite, small-town, authentic, Italian joints!
Whole Foods tops the list? You’ve got to be kidding me. What sort of faux scientific standards went into this steaming pile of a list? Super Target and Food Lion make the list, yet Wegmans is excluded? The panelists are obviously so dim, they’d ask for the thread count on an Excel spreadsheet.
I’m surprised that H.E.B. didn’t make the top ten list. We used to shop there when we lived in Texas, and they had a wide variety of organic foods/produce, a lot of fresh produce and a lot of other premium products. From what I have observed personally, more so than Safeway or Albertsons, though I have noticed that Safeway does have a reasonable organic selection.
Shame on you. Your list of judges doesn’t include anyone with supermarket operations experience. Those asking about Stop and Shop and Wegmann’s have a legitimate concern. When judging, balance has to be provided between quality, origin and most importantly affordability. Has eating healthy become only an option for the rich?
I like to shop at FRESH MARKET. How did they fair in your analysis?
I was the CEO of many large supernmarket chains in the United States. So I speak with some expertise. The outstanding supermarket chain for selection of food products considering every diet concern is a regional chain headquartered in Rochester, NY. Wegman’s. I do not nor have I ever worked for them, and they are the country’s best without exception. You probablyu missed them as they are regional only in the northeast US.
This list ridiculous. Are judges even aware of natural Food Coops? Safeway, Albertsons should be thrown out. You have to be an ingredient reader when your in Whole Foods. They don’t follow their mission statement too closely.
I have never shop Wegman’s. We need a Wegman’s in Washington, D.C. I put a question mark Safeway, Giant, and Whole Foods Market. They bring there hate into there food chain business implementing disorganize crime policies of dealing with people those people do not like.
No Hy-Vee even considered. Hy-Vee is an employee owned chain based in Iowa with 225 stores. Each local store focuses on bringing in local goods (some organics but not all) to promote local producers and reduce transportation costs. Most stores have a health market. Many stores have a registered dietitian on staff to answer heatlth related questions or even do 1 on 1 counseling. They currently have 116 stores with a dietitian available.
All of this AND great customer service.
http://www.hy-vee.com
Whole Foods may be healty but only the wealthy can afford to shop there. Their prepared foods don’t look very good and taste like raw weeds and dirt. I’ve stopped shopping there for a variety of reasons. They used to be great when they put service and quality first. They are now just corporate sell outs. They can’t even follow their own mission statement. We have a regional store called Central Market, still a little pricey but not with the arrogance of Whole Foods. Don’t see how Albertson’s made the list though. I do like Safeway.
I have lived in many different parts of the country. While I am a big fan of Whole Foods and Trader Joes, I believe that you left out the best of them all, Wegmans. Wegmans is an experience. Very consious of health and nutrition, and typically has over 120 organic fruits and veggies daily. It is worth taking a closer look next time.
Wegmans, Wegmans is the best!! Wegmans has fair pricing and quality, healthy food. Their vegetables are always fresh.
SAFEWAY??? R U KIDDING ME? THEIR FROZEN ORGANIC BRAND IS ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!! I HAD TO THROW ALL OF IT AWAY! JUST TERRIBLE!