Whole Foods Caught In Wholey War Over Ramadan Promotion

The Columbus Circle Whole Foods, where management is PROUD to sell Ramadan products to Muslim customers. (Midtown Lunch on Flickr)

Whole Foods is in full-on damage control mode after an embarrassing internal email fell into the hands of a reporter for the Houston Press. It all started innocently enough, when the popular supermarket chain sent out an email to its regional managers reminding them about the annual tradition of "carrying and promoting halal products for those that are celebrating Ramadan this month." Unfortunately for Whole Foods, one region—quick, guess which one!—was scared off by one Islamaphobic blogger's reaction to the scary Muslim Caliphate promotion.

A higher-up for the Southwestern Whole Foods Region, which covers Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma, instructed underlings thus: "Some people have misinterpreted the blog post to mean we are celebrating or promoting Ramadan in our stores. The misinterpretation has generated some negative feedback from a small segment of vocal and angry consumers and bloggers. It is probably best that we don't specifically call out or 'promote' Ramadan...We should not highlight Ramadan in signage in our stores as that could be considered 'Celebrating or promoting' Ramadan."

We look forward to Fox News thoroughly reporting on this P.C. "War on Ramadan." In the meantime, Whole Foods, which also does in-store promotions for Easter and Passover, has been quick to throw that Southwest Region under the bus. In a statement, Whole Foods says, "We have 12 different operating regions and unfortunately, one region reacted to some negative online comments by sending out directions to promote halal-certified foods and not specifically the holiday of Ramadan. We're extremely excited about offering a selection of halal products for our shoppers and we stand behind them AND our promotion of them."

Will Muslims buy it? We reached out to Linda Sarsour at the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC). Sarsour was recently in the thick of the Bay Ridge July 4th picnic Vs. Muslim controversy, so you know she's no pushover. "This whole thing was frivolous and here is why," Sarsour tells us. "Whole Foods is a corporation and they made a wise business decision to market to the Muslim American community during a month where they make significant food purchases. At the end of the day, unless the hatemongers are going to supplement the increase in earned revenue for Whole Foods, business is business."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in Food on August 11, 2011 4:04 PM

Comments [rss]

AuntySemantic

I wonder if these same morons will get their panties in a twist when WF starts doing their Rosh HaShana promotions.

JPeditor

Bonus for you jihadi-appeasing / jew-hating morons:

AUGUST 12, 2011, 4:56 P.M. ET [Syrian]Troops Fire on Syrian Protesters Exiting Mosque [ Happy Ramabombadan!]

zombiebob

That must make you really happy. You are like all individuals representing special interest groups. You think you are special. Attention folks, Israel is not your friend. JPeditor would kick you AND America under the bus if it benefited Israel. And really, with his crazy ass Israel first schtick, he IS kicking you, me , AND America under a big ole fat heavy bus

JPeditor

Because everyone knows that it's the Jews who always blow up shit up on their religious holidays!

zombiebob

Israel just blows shit up WHENEVER they feel like it. That's oh so much better. And hey, they blow stuff up, even if it belongs to their
"friends".. oops, I meant Piggy-bank:
http://whatreallyhappened.com/...

zombiebob

c'mon folks, read about the USS Liberty... the US Naval vessel Israel attacked... But of course Israel claims it was friendly fire... and American traitors were oh so happy to agree because, hey, Israel owns us! Check the link and watch the BBC video. I imagine Mossad is getting ready to kick down my door as I write this, lol just kidi

m015094

Ummm....Muslims make up about 2 million people in the US - about 0.7% of the population while Christians make up >60%. So, celebrating Easter = profit. Celebrating Ramadan, not so much.

SPsGhost

wow, what idiocy. By your numbers of ~2 million muslims in this country, Ramadan lasting one month, one halal frozen meal probably costing ~$10... Roughly, Whole Foods is looking at a potential market of about $600,000,000 at least, just in one month. And that's with only one hypothetical $10 sale. You stupid bigoted asshole.

m015094

Yeah, because EVERY Muslim buys $300 worth of food from Whole Foods during Ramadan. How much Halal food did you buy from Whole Foods?

JPeditor

Shhh, he's still pissed Ø couldn't raise taxes and keep spending more than we take in.

PS - Hey Del Signore, even Chuck Schumer knows CAIR is a bunch of terrorist apologists / enablers.

Or are you and Gothamist so far to the left of Schumer you are down on your knees to jihad?

zombiebob

Ah, JPeditor, the socialist scum strikes again... oh wait... it isn't Socialism if it's giving money to Israel, right? You know, Israel... the foreign nation that America Kow-tows to on a regular basis... the country that uses us... the country that has made a laughing stock of the USA... the country that considers us useless idiots. JPeditor... I am right now virtually bitch-slapping you.

JPeditor

Dear asshole. Please stop sending $ to Israel so they can then stop worrying about ass-kissing your jihadi lovers and then finish the war your jihadi butt brothers started

PS, douchebag, where's your crying about America giving 6 BILLION TO EGYPT, PAKISTAN AND THE REST OF THE JIHADI WORLD?

You cry about the U.S.S. Liberty from 1967 while you and every other Leftwing jihadi-dicksucking jackass here STABS AMERICAN TROOPS IN THE BACK with your EVERY breath.

Oh yeah, keep breathing through your mouth because all of America is reading your BS and crapping down your throat.

Rocknrope

In short, Whole Foods apologizes for attitude of their backwards-ass hick locations.

Gwen Dibley

Marketing for Jews and Christians? SURE! Muslims? Oh fuck no. We don't want them to be full of food when they blow themselves up all over America. Because that's what they all want to do right? Terror?