The FTC ruled (5-0, no less) that the proposed gobbling of Wild Oats by Whole Foods is a Bad Idea for consumers, for what turns out to be a very questionable reason. Time for an old fashioned Food v. Guvmint throwdown.
The guvmint thinks that organic grocery stores form an entirely separate market than traditional grocery stores, while Whole Foods contends that every single grocery store worth their salt (hah!) has or plans on creating an organic section that looks a heck of a lot like a Whole Foods store. In their minds, that's stiff competition.
Putting aside the very serious problems of megacorporate organic consolidation, it seems to me that anyone who bothered to visit a Publix or Sweetbay would see their point.
What's next? Lawsuits galore!
This article appears in Jun 6-12, 2007.