Whole Foods catches heat for giving free meals to National Guard in Baltimore

Health food giant Whole Foods found itself plunged into controversy this week when one of its Baltimore stores, Whole Foods Market Harbor East, made a Facebook post about giving free meals to the National Guard troops patrolling the city. The post was soon noticed and widely shared on social media, where reception was mostly frosty:

Many Twitter users focused their critique on the fact that, with schools closed, many children in Baltimore might go lunchless.

Following the backlash, a spokesperson for Whole Foods said the store is "providing food and water to children across our city by partnering with rec centers and community organizations, and have been doing so in parallel with providing food and water to first responders." On Twitter, @WholeFoods responded individually to dozens of protesters to explain that it has "teamed up with [the Parks and Rec department] for ongoing lunch and snack donations to the kids in Baltimore."

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