The Grocery Store That Beats Whole Foods When It Comes To Organic Produce

Long the darling retailer of the healthy, better-for-you, all-things-crunchy world, Whole Foods is known for its fresh produce, healthy products, and sustainable ethos. So, it might surprise you to know, when digging into the hard numbers, it's not your neighborhood Whole Foods that takes the prize as the largest seller of organic produce, despite its very green, very wholesome branding and vibe. 

While we tend to equate organic fare with small, mom-and-pop stores and farmer's markets, it's actually the biggest of the big retailers that claims the top spot. Yes, you read that right. The same ultra big-box store known for those viral food court hot dogs, Costco, is also the single biggest seller of organic produce.

As of 2016, Costco had emerged as the top dog purveyor of organic produce in the U.S., outranking Whole Foods and raking in sales to the tune of $4 billion annually. These numbers have only continued to skyrocket in recent years. Costco's organic sales totaled $6 billion just this past year. Put into perspective, Costco sales account for one-tenth of all organic produce sales in the country, proving its dominance in the category wasn't a fluke, but an indication of its larger commitment to the organic market.

When we think "organic," and we tend to envision local farmer's and small homesteaders, not the mammoth complex that is conventional Big Agriculture. But interestingly, two of the heavy hitters when it comes to organic sales — Whole Foods and Costco — are themselves huge corporations. Whole Foods, after all is owned by Amazon, hence Prime Members scoring special deals on Fridays. Again, don't let its quaint marketing fool you. 

So, while concepts like "big box chain" and "organic produce" might seem at odds, Costco loyalists probably aren't surprised. With an ample selection of better-for-you, vegan, gluten-free, and generally "healthier" foods, it's no shock that Sam's Club crunchier cousin is no stranger to organic picks.

And while simple on its face, the organic term itself has actually become the center of many heated debates. Getting to the root of what organic actually means in the food world is far from simple, and equating organic food to greater health benefits is just one of the well-known food lies that we've been fed as fact. At best, the jury is still out though as to whether produce grown without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers are indeed any healthier or more nutritious, or just pricier, which it certainly is. If you want to hop on the organic bandwagon though, Costco is certainly making it easier, cheaper, and more accessible to fill your cart with fresh fare.