retailer

Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods Market applies published sourcing, animal-care and processing standards to meat sold in its Meat department.

Practices

Its standards prohibit antibiotics ever and added hormones; sick animals must be treated and excluded from the meat supply if given antibiotics.

Practices

The retailer prohibits animal by-products in feed and meat from genetically engineered or cloned animals.

Sourcing

Whole Foods requires farm or ranch traceability and animal-welfare audits at slaughter.

Certifications

Grass-fed meat must be entirely grass-fed and third-party certified; non-GMO labels require third-party verification or certification.

Practices

Its Meat department excludes ionizing radiation, transglutaminase, lean finely textured beef and synthetic nitrates or nitrites.

Researched September 19, 2026