AMAZON FRESH — NOT ALWAYS FRESH

June 2024

As you may know, Amazon has opened several brick + mortar grocery stores as Amazon Fresh in states including California, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington.

Within these stores, products are available under their private label brand, Amazon Fresh. Amazon claims these items are “meticulously selected for high quality, great flavor and smart prices”.

The definition of ‘fresh’ from Oxford: “(of food) recently made or obtained; not canned, frozen, or otherwise preserved.”

TWO THINGS TO NOTE:

1. Although ‘Amazon Fresh’ is presumably the brand name, several of the items simply state ‘Fresh’ as the brand so the graphics misleadingly suggest these products are fresh which is not always the case — many of these products contain FDA-recognized Chemical Preservatives. A couple of examples which illustrate this point are shown here (with detail to follow later):

2. WHOLE FOODS BANNED INGREDIENT LIST — There is a list of 300+ ingredients which are banned at Amazon-owned Whole Foods which cites these ingredients as “Unacceptable in Food”. Despite one part of Amazon banning certain ingredients, many Amazon Fresh products include some of these banned ingredients. Here is the list of ingredients which are banned at Whole Foods:

Following is detail on several Amazon Fresh products:

FROSTED TOASTER PASTRIES

CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

PANCAKE SYRUP

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

BACON + SAUSAGE

PIZZA SNACK ROLLS

CHERRY PIE

PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH: From the Whole Foods site Banned Ingredient List 6/24:

“The list of no-gos. It can be a difficult process, and the answers are not always easy, but we know our food ingredient standards are part of how we’ve changed the way food is grown, raised, processed and experienced around the world.”

Q: Why is Amazon using ingredients in Amazon Fresh products which they acknowledge as unacceptable in food on the Whole Foods site?

Discover food + beverages whose ingredients are Closest To Homemade in 275+ categories. Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list.

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