Whole Foods Carrollwood — Much More Than Just A Healthy Grocery Store!

By Amy Gutierrez

You’ve probably heard your friends, neighbors and co-workers talk about Whole Foods Market in Carrollwood. Patrons of the 36,000-sq.-ft. store that opened on the corner of N. Dale Mabry Hwy. and Northdale Blvd. in November of 2012 are ecstatic that the area only a few miles west of New Tampa offers health-conscious consumers not only a store where the highest quality nutrition is available, but also a store that places a high value on both our environment and on organic food.

Whole Foods’ quality standards come from a deep tradition that started when founders John Mackey, Rene Lawson Hardy, Craig Weller and Mark Skiles opened their doors with a small market in 1980 in Austin, TX. Their mission has remained steadfast through the opening of each and every one of their more than 400 stores located throughout the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom. The company carefully evaluates each and every product sold and all of the markets feature foods that are free of artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, sweeteners and hydrogenated fats.

Whole Foods is committed to providing shoppers with foods that are fresh, wholesome and safe to eat, while also seeking out and promoting organically grown produce and other products. In short, if you shop at Whole Foods, you are purchasing food and nutritional products that support your family’s health and well-being. 

Staying Informed About Nutrition

The foods we choose when grocery shopping for ourselves and our families have an obvious effect on our health, so it stands to reason that we should be informed about not only what is contained in the food we purchase, but also about where the food originated. Whole Foods takes the guesswork out of this equation for its customers because the grocery chain has established a rating system for produce, meat and sustainable seafood. 

For instance, Whole Foods partners with Global Animal Partnership to encourage better animal welfare practices and has adopted Global’s 5-step Animal Welfare Rating system that evaluates how farm animals are raised using independent, third party certifiers to audit those farms.  

Whole Foods also is the first national grocer to provide a comprehensive, science-based sustainability rating program for wild-caught seafood. Seafoods labeled in green have earned “best choice” ratings, indicating the species are relatively abundant and are caught in environmentally friendly ways. 

And, just last month, Whole Foods Markets launched “Responsibly Grown,” an industry-leading tiered produce rating system that assesses growing practices that impact human health and the environment. The new rating system labels fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers as “good,” “better” or “best” to help shoppers continue their informed decision-making throughout their shopping experience. To earn a “good” rating, a farm must take 16 major steps to protect air, soil, water, and human health. Growers also must comply with the “Responsibly Grown” pesticide policy, which restricts growers to using only U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-registered pesticides, regardless of their origin. In other words, farms outside the U.S. cannot supply Whole Foods Market with fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers grown using pesticides not allowed in the U.S. In addition, U.S. Growers must commit to GMO (genetically modified organism) transparency. If a product uses a GMO, it must be listed on the packaging as such.

What about the consumer who isn’t particularly well-informed about organic foods and gets lost reading labels? Whole Foods Carrollwood is just the place for people who want to learn more! You can speak to Carrollwood’s very own Healthy Eating & Green Mission specialist Allison Snyder on-site or download a copy of the store’s Healthy Eating Handbook, which provides timesaving tips, recipe ideas, meal plans and more. Visit the store’s website (see last paragraph) for a plethora of healthy recipe videos for instructions for making everything from smoothies to salads to desserts. 

Desserts? Yes, our friends at Whole Foods believe that healthy eating isn’t deprivation eating — so, they can help you learn how to make and enjoy scrumptious desserts that won’t make you feel guilty.

What about those of us who don’t know our way around the kitchen except to make our coffee? No need to worry. Whole Foods Carrollwood offers an incredible variety of prepared meals that are ready to pop in the oven and an amazing salad, soup and hot foods bar for quick and easy shopping. The hot foods bar features everything from chicken wings to egg rolls and even mac & cheese. What else can you expect to see behind the glass in the prepared food department? Ready-to-eat panini sandwiches, subs and sushi, as well as many other regular and seasonal entrees and sides. For example, shoppers were able to take home several Thanksgiving Meal-style dishes right from the store, including turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. The store also features a European-style bakery for the finest in breads, pastries and sweets and the cheese department stocks hundreds of the best cheeses from all over the world. Plus, there always are several free sample stations spread around the store. 

With a website that offers everything from registration for Twitter.com chats about wine selections to discussions about gluten-free entertaining, your shopping experience is informative, easy and pleasurable. Visiting Whole Foods in person, though, is the pinnacle of great shopping.

You’ll find an outstanding and fairly-priced craft beer and wine selection for every occasion. The store proudly stocks more than 750 wines from around the world and more than 400 craft beers (including several local breweries like Cigar City Brewing).

Looking for the proper holiday wine to pair with dinner? Whole Foods boasts truly great prices and specials and features favorites like Coppola’s Sonoma County Pinot Noir, which has a forward fruity tartness of dried cherry and strawberry, along with subtle floral jasmine notes and a silky, elegant mouth feel. Or, try the Louis Latour Duet Chardonnay-Viognier, a French blend, showcasing a round, fruity softness with slightly earthy notes and a hint of smokiness that adds a nice complexity. 

 Whole Foods Carrollwood even sells premium pet foods, boasts a glorious (and affordable) floral selection, and a “Whole Body” department dedicated to what you put on your body, which the company promotes as just as important as what you put in your body. 

“I had an absolutely wonderful shopping experience,” says Tampa resident Danielle. “The employees were well-mannered, friendly and went above and beyond to help me find exactly what I needed. I highly recommend this store.” 

A True Community Partner

When you become a customer, not only is going to the market something you’ll look forward to, patrons also get the added bonus of knowing that each Whole Foods Market has a lot of latitude in deciding the best way to operate that individual store to meet the needs of the local community.  For example, in November, Whole Foods encouraged shoppers to bring in their used shopping bags during the “Donate Your Dime” bag swap. For each bag brought in, the store gave shoppers 10 cents that they could keep, or let Whole Foods donate to Lost Angels Animal Rescue in Tampa. 

Whole Foods also regularly donates food to the Village Presbyterian Community Food Pantry of Carrollwood. In addition, several times a year, all of the stores hold community-giving days (otherwise known as “5% Days”) where five percent of that day’s net sales are donated to local nonprofit or educational organizations.

So, if you haven’t yet visited or it’s been awhile, come shop at Whole Foods Carrollwood and experience doing something really good for you, your family and your community. 

Whole Foods Carrollwood is located at 3802 Northdale Blvd. and is open seven days a week, 8 a.m.–9 p.m. Give the store a call at 264-3600 or visit WholeFoodsMarket.com/stores/carrollwood. And, be sure to “Like” the store’s page at Facebook.com/WholeFoodsMarketCarrollwood.