11 Insider Secrets You Never Knew About Whole Foods

There aren’t any government standards for body care products that are labeled “organic” like there are for foods. So Whole Foods created their own guidelines. For example, a personal care product in the store that says it’s “organic” has to contain at least 95 percent ingredients that are certified organic by the USDA National Organic Standards. If a product is labeled “made with organic,” then it must include at least 70 percent certified organic ingredients.

10. More than half of all Certified Cheese Professionals in the world work at Whole Foods.

These people literally know everything about cheese, so go ahead and geek out with them. You can pick their brain about how the cheeses are made, where they’re from, what to buy, how to store them, which wine or foods to pair them with, and much more. And yes, that generous tasting policy we mentioned extends to most cheeses at the cheese counter too.

11. The salad bar is a great place to hack meals.

One employee tipped us off to the fact that the prepared foods bar can be a great way to save money and make single-serving meals in a flash. Grab some precut peppers, mushrooms, and broccoli to make a super-easy stir-fry. Or fill a small container with some olives, artichokes, roasted red peppers, and feta for a Mediterranean spread without shelling out for a whole container of each item. Genius!