Whole Foods and health care reform

Is it wise for the head of a company that caters to left-leaning consumers to write an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, criticizing the Obama health care plan?

John Mackey, CEO and co-founder of Whole Foods, apparently thought so.

The column even opened with a quote from Margaret Thatcher: “”The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”

Mackey spoke in favor of health care reform, but voiced concerns about escalating deficits.

Also escalating since publication of the column on Aug. 11 has been the shrillness of bloggers upset over Mackey’s statements.

Folks at The Huffington Post are particularly outraged. News editor Lila Shapiro, noting that Mackey advised Americans to eat healthy, responded:

For those of you who are tempted to follow Mackey’s advice (and can afford it!) be warned: not all of the foods found at Whole Foods will actually make you healthy. As Mackey himself admitted [recently], “Basically, we used to think it was enough just to sell healthy food, but we know it is not enough. We sell all kinds of candy. We sell a bunch of junk.”

Blogger Ben Wyskida vowed to stop shopping at Whole Foods - a position that has drawn support on Facebook.

Obviously, liberal shoppers aren’t Mackey’s sole concern. He answers to a company board with numerous connections to the health and drug industries.

Director David Dupree is a director of Insight Health Services and CEO of Halifax Group, whose investments include IASIS Healthcare and Trio Clinical Research, which serves the drug and and medical device industries.

Two other directors - Jonathan Seiffer and Jonathan Sokoloff - are with Leonard Green & Partners, an investor in Rite Aid and a major stakeholder in Whole Foods.

Director Morris Siegel also sat on the board of CNS pharmaceutical company before its acquisition by GlaxoSmithKline.

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