Whole Foods Shopping Guide

Key Insights

• Products analyzed: 646 under 365 Everyday Value, 709 under 365 Whole Foods Market
• Scored one at a time: every score on this page belongs to one product, and we publish no score for a brand

Nuts & Seeds

Strategy: Stock up on raw nuts, seeds, and nut butters.

Frozen Vegetables

Strategy: A reliable aisle to shop from, and a good place to keep the freezer stocked.

Cookies & Crackers

Strategy: Cookies and crackers carry longer ingredient lists. Look for simpler ingredient lists when indulging.

Single-ingredient or minimally processed 365 products with the lowest Processing Scores in our analysis, one per category:

Engine 2 Performance

Our catalog holds 10 products from the Engine 2 line carrying both scores. We score products one at a time rather than publishing a score for the line. Individual Engine 2 products carry their own scores on the Engine 2 brand page.

Engine 2 is Whole Foods' plant-based line developed with firefighter Rip Esselstyn. It focuses on whole food, plant-based nutrition.

Even at Whole Foods, some products have higher processing scores than expected:

Key takeaway: even at Whole Foods, the assembled items score higher. Simpler ingredient lists tend to score lower than long ones carrying preservatives and emulsifiers.

Strategic Shopping Tips

• Bulk bins: Often better deals on nuts, grains, and spices
• Store-made items: Check ingredients, often simpler than packaged
• Sale rotation: 365 products go on sale regularly
• Frozen section: Year-round access to organic produce

• Focus on single-ingredient items: oats, rice, beans and lentils carry the shortest ingredient lists, and the Processing Score starts from how many ingredients a label lists.
• Assembled items score higher, even here: the highest-processing 365 Everyday Value products in our analysis are assembled foods such as bars, pizza and baked goods.