For Immediate Release: April 5, 2005

Prompted by protests at its stores and a shareholder resolution at its annual meeting, Whole Foods Market yesterday announced a new policy of labeling its private brand foods to indicate that they are not sourced from genetically engineered seed.

The proponents of the shareholder proposal congratulated the company yesterday. The resolution called for labeling of Whole Foods' private label products with respect to genetically engineered ingredients. The change was announced at Whole Foods' annual stockholder meeting in New York City.

In October 2001, Whole Foods and Wild Oats simultaneously announced that their private brands' ingredients would be sourced exclusively from non-genetically engineered seed. This information has not been conveyed on product labels or packaging, however, where consumers are most likely to seek information about ingredients. As a result, Ecopledge and a group of Whole Foods shareholders began pressing for explicit product labels that state that genetically engineered foods were deliberately avoided.

"As an industry leader whose growth is driven by increasing consumer concern of the purity and safety of food, Whole Foods should be proud of this new commitment to bring the topic of genetic engineering to the forefront," said Beth Williamson of Ecopledge.

The shareholder group that filed the proposal included Trillium Asset Management, Portfolio 21, Progressive Investment Management, Green Century Capital Management, the General Board of Pensions and Health Benefits of the United Methodist Church, and Jennifer Clark of Austin, Texas. Their combined holdings in Whole Foods are over 200,000 shares currently worth $20.3 million.

In announcing the change, CEO John Mackey asked, "If Whole Foods doesn't do this, who will?" Noting the possibility that labeling could invite legal actions, Mackey stated that they would be "worth fighting." The uncertainty stems from the Food & Drug Administration's failure to provide final guidelines for labels on genetically engineered foods. The shareholders had argued, however, that careful and accurate wording on Whole Foods' part could insulate the company from legal action.

Whole Foods did not specify a timeframe for the changes. The company stated that additional information and updates would be available on its web site.

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