Grocery store chain Whole Foods released security camera footage Tuesday that they say contradicts claims made by Jordan Brown, an Austin-based pastor who is openly gay, that the store wrote an anti-gay slur on a cake he ordered.
lessGrocery store chain Whole Foods released security camera footage Tuesday that they say contradicts claims made by Jordan Brown, an Austin-based pastor who is openly gay, that the store wrote an anti-gay slur on
... moreGrocery store chain Whole Foods released security camera footage Tuesday that they say contradicts claims made by Jordan Brown, an Austin-based pastor who is openly gay, that the store wrote an anti-gay slur on a cake he ordered.
lessGrocery store chain Whole Foods released security camera footage Tuesday that they say contradicts claims made by Jordan Brown, an Austin-based pastor who is openly gay, that the store wrote an anti-gay slur on
... moreGrocery store chain Whole Foods released security camera footage Tuesday that they say contradicts claims made by Jordan Brown, an Austin-based pastor who is openly gay, that the store wrote an anti-gay slur on a cake he ordered.
lessGrocery store chain Whole Foods released security camera footage Tuesday that they say contradicts claims made by Jordan Brown, an Austin-based pastor who is openly gay, that the store wrote an anti-gay slur on
... morePastor Jordan Brown, a founder of the Church of Open Doors in Austin, is suing grocery store chain Whole Foods after an employee allegedly wrote the word "fag" on the cake he ordered from a store in Austin.
Pastor Jordan Brown, a founder of the Church of Open Doors in Austin, is suing grocery store chain Whole Foods after an employee allegedly wrote the word "fag" on the cake he ordered from a store in Austin.
Pastor Jordan Brown (pictured), a founder of the Church of Open Doors in Austin, is suing grocery store chain Whole Foods after an employee allegedly wrote the word "fag" on the cake he ordered from a store in Austin.
lessPastor Jordan Brown (pictured), a founder of the Church of Open Doors in Austin, is suing grocery store chain Whole Foods after an employee allegedly wrote the word "fag" on the cake he ordered from a store in
... morePastor Jordan Brown, a founder of the Church of Open Doors in Austin, is suing grocery store chain Whole Foods after an employee allegedly wrote the word "fag" on the cake he ordered from a store in Austin.
Pastor Jordan Brown, a founder of the Church of Open Doors in Austin, is suing grocery store chain Whole Foods after an employee allegedly wrote the word "fag" on the cake he ordered from a store in Austin.
1. A magical"Asparagus water" concoction
In early August, a shopper posted a photo to Instagram of a fancy Whole Foods product: Three stalks of asparagus in a bottle of water. The cost for the thusly named "Asparagus Water": $5.99. As the Internet mocked the magical elixir, Whole Foods claimed the product was put there by mistake and not something they truly sell.
less1. A magical"Asparagus water" concoction
In early August, a shopper posted a photo to Instagram of a fancy Whole Foods product: Three stalks of asparagus in a bottle of water. The cost for the thusly named
... more2. Obamacare = Fascism
Libertarian Whole Food's co-founder and CEO John Mackey shocked his liberal followers by equating Obama's Affordable Health Care Act with "fascism." He walked back the comment a couple days later.
less2. Obamacare = Fascism
Libertarian Whole Food's co-founder and CEO John Mackey shocked his liberal followers by equating Obama's Affordable Health Care Act with "fascism." He walked back the comment a couple
... more3. "Whole Paycheck" but for real this time
The "Whole Paycheck" reputation at the grocery chain became all too real in June. New York City officials learned that the store mislabeled weights on products, leading to overcharges as high as $15 an item. The company's co-CEOs issued an apology, but the error has contributed to middling sales numbers for Whole Foods.
less3. "Whole Paycheck" but for real this time
The "Whole Paycheck" reputation at the grocery chain became all too real in June. New York City officials learned that the store mislabeled weights on products, leading
... moreTwo Whole Foods employees were shocked in 2013 when they were suspended for speaking Spanish on the job at a New Mexico store. Speaking Spanish during work hours apparently violated company policy. Of course, the company revised the rule after a nationwide outcry.
lessTwo Whole Foods employees were shocked in 2013 when they were suspended for speaking Spanish on the job at a New Mexico store. Speaking Spanish during work hours apparently
... moreWhen Consumer Reports tested plain Greek yogurt from the store's 365 brand, the publication discovered the product had 11.4 grams of sugar per serving -- more than five times more than the label claimed. Some New Yorkers filed a class action lawsuit against the supermarket, which yanked the yogurt from shelves.
lessWhen Consumer Reports tested plain Greek yogurt from the store's 365 brand, the publication discovered the product had 11.4 grams of sugar per serving -- more than five times more than the
... moreBunny lovers freaked out when the company decided to start selling rabbit meat in the fall of 2014. The House Rabbit Society staged protests at Whole Foods locations across the country (Reuters wrote the organization has 31 U.S. chapters and 4,000 paying members). The grocer halted rabbit meat sales a year later after low sales.
lessBunny lovers freaked out when the company decided to start selling rabbit meat in the fall of 2014. The House Rabbit Society staged protests at Whole Foods locations across the country
... more7. And how much do you make?
An eye-opening Whole Foods policy came to light in the spring of 2014. Co-CEO John Mackey has a policy about paycheck transparency. Anybody at Whole Foods can see the salary of any other employee working there. But the divisive policy isn't too embarrassing for workers since they make more than your usual grocery store employee (average hourly wage: $18.89 in 2013; average annual wage: $39,289). Mackey brings those averages way down. He earns $1 a year.
less7. And how much do you make?
An eye-opening Whole Foods policy came to light in the spring of 2014. Co-CEO John Mackey has a policy about paycheck transparency. Anybody at Whole Foods can see the salary of any
... moreWhole Foods responded quickly and fired a security guard who allegedly pummeled and hospitalized a shopper in a one-sided fight in Oakland in September. Witnesses were unsure what led to the apparent assault, but described an armed guard who "slammed repeatedly against concrete pillars, put in a chokehold, restrained and suffocated until he was thrown face down on the pavement unconscious."
lessWhole Foods responded quickly and fired a security guard who allegedly pummeled and hospitalized a shopper in a one-sided fight in Oakland in September. Witnesses were unsure what led to
... more9. An organic problem
Some organic farmers have raged against the store's "responsibly grown" rating system. The store has rated non-organic products grown with standard fertilizers and pesticides as more responsible than organic products. "Organic is responsibly grown, for goodness sake," one farmer told NPR. "Organic should be the foundation of anything that Whole Foods might do." less9. An organic problem
Some organic farmers have raged against the store's "responsibly grown" rating system. The store has rated non-organic products grown with standard fertilizers and pesticides as more ... more10. "Cage" free products
Whole Foods Markets responded to protests in Houston to stop using products made by cheap prison labor, including tilapia, trout and goat cheese. The food was produced as part of a rehabilitation program in Colorado. less10. "Cage" free products
Whole Foods Markets responded to protests in Houston to stop using products made by cheap prison labor, including tilapia, trout and goat cheese. The food was produced as part of a ... more11. Listeria hysteria
One week after the prison labor scandal, Whole Foods recalled Papillon Organic Roquefort cheese after the Food and Drug Administration discovered listeria at the supplier. Nobody has reported an illness yet.
less11. Listeria hysteria
One week after the prison labor scandal, Whole Foods recalled Papillon Organic Roquefort cheese after the Food and Drug Administration discovered listeria at the supplier. Nobody has
... more12. Whole Foods CEO looks cute, says anonymous Whole Foods CEO
Quirky Whole Foods CEO John Mackey wrote more than 1,000 anonymous messages on Yahoo Finance's bulletin board lambasting rival, Wild Oats Markets (which Whole Foods later acquired). Mackey used the pseudonym Rahodeb (an anagram of his wife's name Deborah) to post for seven years. In one message he wrote: "I like Mackey's haircut. I think he looks cute!"
12. Whole Foods CEO looks cute, says anonymous Whole Foods CEO
Quirky Whole Foods CEO John Mackey wrote more than 1,000 anonymous messages on Yahoo Finance's bulletin board lambasting rival, Wild Oats Markets
13. Animal welfare
Animal rights activists have accused Whole Foods' animal welfare program of being feebly enforced for years. One recent example: A disturbing video put forth by an animal rights group about the treatment of hens at a "humane" egg supplier. less13. Animal welfare
Animal rights activists have accused Whole Foods' animal welfare program of being feebly enforced for years. One recent example: A disturbing video put forth by an animal rights group about ... more14. Less whole
Many of these controversies and increasing competition from other grocers pushing organic products have hurt the Austin-based chain. Shares are down for the company and the supermarket is cutting its workforce. In late September, Whole Foods announced plans to shed 1,500 jobs (or 1.6 percent of its workforce).
less14. Less whole
Many of these controversies and increasing competition from other grocers pushing organic products have hurt the Austin-based chain. Shares are down for the company and the supermarket is cutting
... moreGrocery store chain Whole Foods is counter-suing an openly gay pastor in Austin who accused the store of putting an anti-gay slur on a cake he ordered last week.
RELATED: Whole Foods to stop selling products made by inmates
Pastor Jordan Brown — a founder of the Church of Open Doors — sued the Austin-based chain Monday after he claimed the store put the slur on a cake he picked up from the downtown Austin store on April 14.
Brown had initially asked for the words "love wins" to be written in icing on the cake, the pastor said in a video uploaded to YouTube, but said that he did not notice that a baker at the store had allegedly added the slur through the clear packaging before paying for the dessert.
RELATED: Whole Foods versus H-E-B: A price comparison of popular grocery store items
Whole Foods pushed back against Brown on Tuesday, promising legal action against the pastor and releasing security footage they say contradicts his claims.
"After a deeper investigation of Mr. Brown's claim, we believe his accusations are fraudulent and we intend to take legal action against both Mr. Brown and his attorney," the chain said Tuesday.
The grocery chain claims the bakery employee wrote "love wins" on the cake and that the message was visible through the clear portion of the cake's packaging.
"That's exactly how the cake was packaged and sold at the store," the company said. "Whole Foods Market has a strict policy that prohibits team members from accepting or designing bakery orders that include language or images that are offensive."
RELATED: H-E-B bows to pressure to sell only cage-free eggs by 2025
In his video, Brown says he did not open the cake box and showed a sealed label at the bottom and side of the box.
However, security footage from the store shows that label on top of the box as Brown purchases the cake, the chain said Tuesday.
"We stand behind our bakery team member, who is part of the LGBTQ community, and we appreciate the team members and shoppers who recognize that this claim is completely false and directly contradicts Whole Foods Market's inclusive culture, which celebrates diversity," the store said.
jfechter@mySA.com
Twitter: @JFreports
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