Calif. Charges Whole Foods $800K —for Overcharging

Surprise, surprise: Grocer actually was too expensive
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 25, 2014 12:17 PM CDT
Calif. Charges Whole Foods $800K —for Overcharging
In this Monday, July 29, 2013, file photo, produce is placed on Whole Foods paper bag in Andover, Mass.   (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

For those who have griped about Whole Foods' prices for years, California has confirmed what you've long bemoaned: The Golden State and the high-end grocer have reached an $800,000 deal to settle allegations that the latter overcharged customers. Investigators determined that Whole Foods charged for the weight of containers used in self-serve bars, overstated the actual weight of packaged food, and violated state law by selling prepared and deli food by the piece instead of by weight.

The settlement is a "slap-on-the-wrist $800,000 penalty," notes the Consumerist, though it does mandate state-provided inspectors and audits to make sure Whole Foods sticks to the straight and narrow from here on out. Interestingly, Whole Foods admitted no wrongdoing under the agreement. (More Whole Foods stories.)

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