The Popular Whole Foods Item You Should Avoid Buying

Whole Foods may be best known for its organic produce and 365 brand, but don't skip out on the prepared food section. It boasts fan favorites like Buffalo chicken wings, barbecue chicken flatbreads, and yummy desserts. There is one popular Whole Foods item, though, that you should avoid buying: rotisserie chicken.

Chowhound writer Megan Lim did the work for you and ranked 10 Whole Foods prepared items from worst to best, based on taste, flavor, and price. The main complaint about the rotisserie chicken was with its taste, or lack thereof. Lim found it to be dry and chewy, lacking the juiciness and hearty flavor of other rotisserie chickens. You're better off repurposing the meat in other dishes.

The other issue with the Whole Foods rotisserie chicken is the cost. Compared to Costco's beloved $4.99 rotisserie chicken, Whole Foods' feels quite pricey at $8.99 (although it weighs in at almost two pounds).

Along with the Whole Foods rotisserie chicken at the bottom of the list is its macaroni and cheese. A cult classic at other grocery chains, the Whole Foods version really misses the mark, according to Lim. Its noodles are not cooked enough and have an al dente quality to them, which is unexpected and off-putting. It tastes strongly of sharp cheddar cheese, which is overpowering. All of that plus its whopping $9.99 price tag puts the mac and cheese at the bottom of the rankings.

Joining it there is the Whole Foods Greek tortellini pasta salad. Despite packing a punch of ingredients like onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, and cheese tortellini, Lim found the dish to be bland and tasteless. Not even the dressing could revive it.

The lack of seasoning and flavor seems to be a trend with the prepared foods at Whole Foods, according to some customers. "Bland, dry, under-seasoned, incorrectly seasoned. I only shop there occasionally for items I might not be able to find elsewhere and, inevitably, I'll convince myself to give the hot food bar another try and avoid having to cook dinner," one shopper wrote on The Data Lounge online forum. "Some of it [looks] good, but it's blander than hospital food."