John Mackey C.E.O. Whole Foods

Read the New Yorker article by Nick Paumgarten (1/4/10) on Mackey. Intriguing profile of the guy from Austin, TX, a businessman who Paumgarten calls a right-wing hippie. Also, we learn about the food biz and how Whole Foods has become known as both “whole paycheck” and “holy foods.” Michael Pollan’s criticism of Whole Food’s posture as organic is especially interesting. When Pollan read at a bookstore in Austin, Mackey asked to meet with him. The results, months of discussion in writing and a public debate in Berkeley. Also, Mackey “acknowledged certain shortcomings and vowed to make changes, among them greater commitments to local farming and grass-fed beef” (46). For more: NEWYORKER.COM/GO/ASK Nick Paumgarten in a live chat with readers.