Whole Foods: "We Should Not Highlight Ramadan" (due to pressure from right-wing bloggers)

[onehandle]

Source: Houston Press

​Under pressure from right-wing bloggers who blindly associate Ramadan and Muslims with terrorism and burqas, Whole Foods has sent an email to its stores across the United States in which it specifically tells stores not to promote Ramadan this year.

Just last week, Whole Foods began its promotion of Saffron Road's line of halal products throughout the holiday, which ends on August 29, via writer Yvonne Maffei's blog, My Halal Kitchen. That promotion was waylaid by what seems like a very small amount of criticism, according to an internal email that the Houston Press obtained recently.

"It is probably best that we don't specifically call out or 'promote' Ramadan," reads a portion of that email. "We should not highlight Ramadan in signage in our stores as that could be considered 'Celebrating or promoting' Ramadan."

This is a significant departure from years past, when Whole Foods has promoted its halal items during Ramadan with small signs that displayed a crescent moon, the symbol of Islam. It's also a striking difference from the way that the famously tolerant grocery chain promotes other holidays, including signage and in-store promotions for Passover, Easter and Christmas.

Read more: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2011/08/whole_foods_we_should_not_high.php

[ZombieHorde]

1. Makes sense, Whole Foods acts right wing because they are owned by a right wing person.

Unless they changed ownership recently.

[Mimosa]

3. I remember mackey's anti health insurance BS! *grr*

We shop Trader Joes!

[ZombieHorde]

5. I remember that too, but I don't really care if people shop at Whole Foods.

We don't have Whole Foods where I live, but hear the store is really nice.

[Mimosa]

9. About Trader Joe's (no connection)

As a company, Trader Joe's has more integrity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trader_Joe%27s

[ZombieHorde]

10. Trader Joe's seems really nice. nt

[MADem]

15. They don't carry the same number/variety of items as WF, but they are a helluva lot cheaper. NT

[MurrayDelph]

38. Back when I was a technical trainer

I had students who worked for Trader Joe's. The company's goal is to either carry stuff you can't get anywhere else, or cheaper than you can get anyplace else.

[MADem]

44. Well, it's a good business model, that's for sure. NT

[pipoman]

7. yep..

[No Elephants]

29. Exactly. He gets rich off the left, but he's a RWad. Anti-union, too, IIRC.

[Angry Dragon]

2. Speaking of crescent moons

Take a gander at the flag of South Carolina
they must all be Muslims

It might be time to round them all up and ship them to the Middle East where they belong ......... just saying

[harun]

4. Cavers.

[Ikonoklast]

6. Unsurprising.

Just another right-wing asshole being a right-wing asshole.

[Ian David]

8. The liars posted on Twitter that they said no such thing.

But this is not a company known for honesty.

[roxiejules]

24. Whole Foods Celebrates, Monetizes Ramadan

from Fast Company 7/28

http://www.fastcompany.com/1769739/whole-foods-celebrates-ramadan

[No Elephants]

32. The OP claims that promotion was "waylaid" after a week by RW criticism.

Per the OP, July 28, the date at your link, was the date the promotion (and Ramadan) started.

Then came the RW criticism and then WF allegedly sent out another memo cancelling the promotion some time early in August. Per the OP, Ramadan this year doesn't end until August 29.

[No Elephants]

31. Easy to determine. Did they highlight Ramadan foods this year, or not?

Every supermarket highlights certain foods and items around Thanksgiving, Passover, Easter, Christmas, Chinese New Year and so on.

A regular shopper there should know if they noticed Ramadan-related items being highlighted this year or not.

[EvilMonsanto]

11. I'm Okay If they don't recognize ANY religion

In that case i'm fine

[fujiyama]

13. But that's clearly not the case

It sounds like they haven't had any problems acknowledging Easter, Passover, and other Jewish/Christian holidays.

[fujiyama]

12. This is stupid in more ways than one

Aside from being pathetic and cowardly caving into demands of RW idiots, it also misses potential business with Muslim Americans, many of whom are professionals with the kind of money needed to spend at a place like Whole Foods - especially since it's not always easy for them to find Halal meat.

[Union Thug]

14. Fine, but don't market that Xmas crap either, or Easter and so forth... nt

[alp227]

18. According to Fox News, Christmas has been watered down to mere "holidays"! n/t

[No Elephants]

34. Must be true: It's been months since I've seen Christmas candy, decorations, wrapping paper, etc. in

my supermarket.

Obviously, the war on Christmas succeeded.

[PatrynXX]

16. well as long as they aren't selling Kosher foods shouldn't be a problem right? n/t

[madrchsod]

17. and what is up with that kosher food?

isn`t christian food good enough?

oh shit i forgot...we have to be nice to the jews then christ will come down and rapture us!

:sarcasm:


the owners whole foods are chicken shits.

[alp227]

19. maybe more people need to give up this whole religion dog and pony show n/t

[Smilo]

20. WF is

the upscale version of what the righties believe is the down home version of the produce market - and the prices reflect the type of customer they want to attract.

I am lucky to have Trader Joes and although they don't carry as much stuff, they are less expensive, nicer people and more importantly they do not have a rightie tool at the top.

[BackToThe60s]

21. Is Pamela Geller involved in this?

She's pretty much the poster girl of anti-Muslim bigotry.

[HuckleB]

22. How about just ignoring all religion?

Doesn't that seem like the sane way to go?

[No Elephants]

35. Know a lot about retail?

[HuckleB]

43. Got pointless questions?

[certainot]

23. a few weeks ago i heard a WF ad on the local limbaugh station

[harun]

25. Whole Foods now saying it was just one jackass, link below:

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/09/whole-foods-denies-canceling-ramadan-promotion/?hpt=hp_t2

[No Elephants]

36. One "jackass" who headed an entire region, one of twelve U.S. regions.

"We have 12 different operating regions and one region reacted by sending out directions to promote halal and not specifically Ramadan after some online negative comments."

[harvey007]

26. Hurray for Whole Foods!

There is no business excuse to promote any religion at a grocery store and certainly no excuse to promote halal meat products.

http://videos.dhnet.be/video/iLyROoafImlf.html

[closeupready]

37. 100% wrong.

nt

[Downwinder]

27. Can we skip Christmas, too?

[timtom]

28. Then, they shouldn't highlight Hannakah, Christmas

or any other religious holiday. (But, you know they will...)

[timtom]

39. Excuse me, but that should read

"Hannukkah"

[Mosby]

45. It's transliteration

There are a lot of ways to spell it, don't stress about it.

[timtom]

46. Thanks.

No stress. Just going with the "normal" Latin orthography.

[Le Taz Hot]

30. I'd boycott them

but I never was into paying $8.00 for a damned potato anyway. :shrug:

[Marrah_G]

33. What a stupid move

Especially with the rise in the number of local farmers markets, it is a stupid move both ethically and financially.

[saras]

40. Economically, it's a dumb move

It's offending potential customers to please people who aren't and won't ever be customers.

[gauguin57]

41. It's Dunkin' Donuts all over again!

I will not ever again step into a DD or its subsidiary, Baskin & Robbins, because DD caved to that lying harpy Michelle Malkin about Rachel Ray's alleged "terrorist scarf."

Sounds like just what Whole Foods is doing.

Eff em.

[PurityOfEssence]

42. Well, if I was in the grocery business, I wouldn't be all that hot on fasting either...

Just sayin'...