Whole Foods probed after investigators find it's been overcharging for food


New York City is investigating Whole Foods Markets after finding the organic grocery chain was overcharging customers, the New York Daily News reports. The probe comes after Whole Foods was found guilty of similar problems in California last summer. Overcharges in New York ranged from 80 cents for a package of pecan panko to $14.84 for a container of shrimp, the Department of Consumer Affairs spokeswoman Abby Lootens told the Daily News.
"Our inspectors told me it was the worst case of overcharges they've ever seen," Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Julie Menin said.
Whole Foods "never intentionally used deceptive practices to incorrectly charge customers," their spokesman Michael Sinatra said. In their own investigation, the Daily News found that some identically priced items at Whole Foods actually led to consumer discounts.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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