CEO and co-founder of Whole Foods Market

April 03, 2001

Read our chat with John Mackey, CEO and co-founder of Whole Foods Market, a Fortune 1000 Company and the world’s largest retailer of natural and organic foods. Mackey discusses the implications on issues ranging from food on our shelves, water we drink, sustainability and impacts of agriculture and seafood we consume as well as running a billion dollar corporation.

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Cyberways: Welcome! Have questions about the sustainability and impact of agriculture, water or seafood that you consume? Wonder what is being done in the U.S. to reduce pesticide use? Have concerns about genetically engineered foods? Wonder what it takes to what it takes to start and run a billion dollar corporation? We are privileged to present the opportunity to chat with John Mackey, CEO and co-founder of Whole Foods Market, the world's largest retailer of natural and organic foods. The chat is about to begin. Start sending your questions now and prepare to explore the world of sustainable agriculture, healthy foods and what it is like to run a Fortune 1000 Company. Please welcome John Mackey!

John Mackey: Morning, great to be here!

Shark: How does mad cow disease affect our foods?

John Mackey: Mad cow disease is not really a problem in the United States, what happened is that some producers gave their livestock feed that contained animal by-products, and that is something that the USDA had banned several years ago, so that's something in the United States you don't have to worry about as much, although the USDA and the FDA are still monitoring feed mills to make sure they are complying.

Holly: What does it take for a food to be "organic" and why are organic foods so much more expensive?

John Mackey: To be organic, there are several things that a producer must do, and one of the key ones is that the land should not have any prohibited substances for three years. They can't have any genetically engineered seed or ingredients, and no sewage sludge can be used for a fertilizer, and they can't use any irradiation products. Most importantly, they need to work with developing the soil fertility. That's real important in organic and sustainable agriculture.

FlyBoy: What is the worst pesticide that you know of?

John Mackey: The worst pesticide is a group of pesticides called organophosphates, and they are used on many food crops, and also in residential and commercial buildings as an insecticide. The problem with them is they cause quick effects, harmful effects, and long term chronic effects, to both humans and wildlife. And right now, organophosphates account for about half of all the insecticides used in the United States. So it is used a lot on cotton, corn, wheat, and also mosquito control.

SunnySmile: What does it mean if a food is genetically engineered? Can that hurt me?

John Mackey: If a food is genetically engineered, it means that the genetic material within the cell has been modified. It's not how nature intended it to be, and so they can include genetic material from animals, from plants, from whatever, even though you would never find that happening in nature. And the concern is that there is not enough research to make sure that this is actually OK to do. They are finding that cloned animals aren't working; they are dying and having unusual diseases. There is a lot of drift, with crops that are genetically engineered, and they are infiltrating organically grown crops, and they are also infiltrating plants that the farmers did not grow as genetically engineered. So it is affecting the environment, and it is not known yet if it is affecting human and wildlife health.

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