We compared Whole Foods' prices to those of its biggest competitor — and what we found was shocking

• Hayley Peterson
 
•  

• Nov. 20, 2015, 

Business Insider/Hayley PetersonKroger.

Whole Foods is making a big push to lower its prices amid growing competition in organic food.

But it isn't dropping prices fast enough to compete with its rival Kroger, according to a recent store check.

We compared the prices of 31 items at a Whole Foods store in Glen Allen, Virginia, to an identical set of items at a nearby Kroger store.

The Whole Foods basket was about $60 more expensive than the total at Kroger.

The bills came to $191.41 at Whole Foods and $131.89 at Kroger, after we accounted for the products' varying package sizes and calculated those differences into the final price.

We weren't expecting this big of a price discrepancy between the two stores, especially since Whole Foods has been promising to lower its prices.

Business Insider/Hayley PetersonWhole Foods.

The biggest cost differences we found at each retailer were in coconut oil, fresh whole turkeys, fruit, and salmon.

Whole Foods' coconut oil and farm-raised Atlantic salmon were twice as expensive as Kroger's, and a 10-pound turkey was $7 more expensive at Whole Foods.

Business Insider/Hayley Peterson

Meanwhile, organic red seedless grapes were $1.50 cheaper per pound at Kroger, and bananas were $0.20 cheaper per pound.

Seven of the items we compared were from the same brands.

For example, Justin's classic almond butter was $0.50 more expensive at Whole Foods than at Kroger, and No Yolks egg noodles were nearly $2 more expensive at Whole Foods.

Business Insider/Hayley PetersonAlmond Breeze almond milk was only one cent more expensive at Whole Foods with a two-for$6

Almond Breeze almond milk was $0.50 more expensive at Whole Foods for $3.49, but only one cent more expensive with Whole Foods' two-for-$6 sale.

We incorporated all sale prices at both grocery stores into our final estimates.

Business Insider/Hayley PetersonNaked coconut water was $0.40 more expensive per carton at Whole Foods.

If items of the same brand weren't available at both stores, we compared Whole Foods' private label 365 Everyday Value brand to Kroger's Simple Truth Organic brand.

Kroger's Simple Truth Organic brand was cheaper than the 365 brand in every case. Kroger's organic basil was $1.65 cheaper than Whole Foods' private label for a half ounce, for example, and its organic crunchy peanut butter was $1.50 cheaper than Whole Foods' version.

Whole Foods defended its prices, saying its products had strict quality standards that contributed to the higher costs.

For example, it noted that the salmon, beef, and turkey contained no added growth hormones or antibiotics. The company also traced the turkey at the Glen Allen store to a third-generation family farm that prohibits cages, crowding, and other practices that could be detrimental to the animals.

Business Insider/Hayley PetersonWhole Foods.

Other items, like the mayonnaise, contain no artificial colors, sweeteners, preservatives, or hydrogenated fats common in packaged goods, the company said. The olive oil also goes through a chemical analysis to ensure its purity and freshness.

But it's not just about the quality of the food — Whole Foods said some items, like the bananas, help fund student scholarships. The conventional bananas, which are $0.10 more expensive per pound than Kroger's bananas, help fund scholarships at Earth University, a nonprofit university in Costa Rica that recruits low-income students.

Kroger's Simple Truth Organic brand promises some similar standards, such as no artificial preservatives, antibiotics, or growth hormones.

Here's the full list of our results:*

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*The milk at Kroger is conventional, while the milk at Whole Foods is organic.