Will This Make You Stop Shopping at Whole Foods For Good?

Whole Foods isn't exactly the go-to grocery store for people on a budget, but new investigations could prove that it's ripping off customers more than you thought. New York City's Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) completed an investigation in NYC stores and found "systematic overcharging" of many prepackaged products, like chicken tenders, packaged snacks, and baked goods. The department claims that Whole Foods incorrectly priced foods based on weight and the overcharges "ranged from 80 cents for a package of pecan panko to $14.84 for a package of coconut shrimp."

NYC's DCA issued a press release and stated, "It is unacceptable that New Yorkers shopping for a Summer BBQ or who grab something to eat from the self-service aisles at New York City's Whole Foods stores have a good chance of being overcharged. Our inspectors tell me this is the worst case of mislabeling they have seen in their careers, which DCA and New Yorkers will not tolerate."

New York isn't the first state to deal with this controversy, though. Last year, Whole Foods was fined $800,000 for overcharging California customers for similar products.

Whole Foods released a statement in response to the allegations:

We disagree with the DCA's overreaching allegations and we are vigorously defending ourselves. We cooperated fully with the DCA from the beginning until we disagreed with their grossly excessive monetary demands. Despite our requests to the DCA, they have not provided evidence to back up their demands nor have they requested any additional information from us, but instead have taken this to the media to coerce us. Our customers are our number one stakeholder and we highly value their trust in us.