Fresh Market and Whole Foods are some of the most well known high-tier supermarkets in the United States. Both are known to be more of an up-scale type of store that customers can shop for their grocery needs at. But if you are deciding between the two of these stores, which one is better?
In this article, I compared these stores on 3 major shopping factors. These 3 factors are:
- Price
- Quality
- Variety
By the end of this article, you should have a good idea as to which store is the better choice for you.
Which is Better: Fresh Market or Whole Foods? Whole Foods is anywhere from 12% to 53% cheaper than Fresh Market. Additionally, they have better product quality according to the FDA. So, it appears as though Whole Foods is the clear winner over Fresh Market.
Is Fresh Market More Expensive Than Whole Foods?
Price point is one of the biggest decision-making factors when it decides to pick a store to shop at. It is safe to say that most customers prefer the store that will give them the cheaper price, or the best bang for their buck.
To see which store offers the most affordable pricing, I looked at a variety of store brand items and compared the prices of each. Between Fresh Market and Whole Foods, which one is more expensive? The only two shopping categories where Fresh Market was the more affordable choice were dairy products and cleaning products.
| Category | Fresh Market Brand | Whole Foods Brand |
| Beverages | ✓ | |
| Baking Goods | ✓ | |
| Canned Goods | ✓ | |
| Dairy | ✓ | |
| Dry Goods | ✓ | |
| Frozen Foods | ✓ | |
| Personal Care | ✓ | |
| Cleaners | ✓ | |
Whole Foods offers significantly more affordable products. More specifically, Whole Foods is anywhere from 12% to 53% cheaper than Fresh Market, which is a pretty big difference.
The only two shopping categories where Fresh Market was the more affordable choice was for dairy products and cleaning products. So, unless a large majority of your shopping list is for products in either the cleaning or dairy categories, you are better off making purchases at Whole Foods.
So, if you are a customer that prioritizes price over everything, then Whole Foods is a clear winner for you.
Product Quality: Fresh Market vs Whole Foods
The quality of products at a store is also a major decision factor for many shoppers. Some customers would rather shop at the store that offers the better quality products, even if it means the products are a bit more expensive. So we’re looking at Fresh Market and Whole Foods, which one has higher quality products?
To get the best idea as to which store has the better reputation for carrying higher quality products, I took a look at the FDA product recall database. This database shows how many product recalls each door has had in recent years. So, the store with less product recalls is likely to carry the higher quality products.
| Category | Fresh Market Recalls | Whole Foods Recalls |
| Animal & Veterinary | 0 | 0 |
| Biologics | 0 | 0 |
| Cosmetics | 0 | 0 |
| Dietary Supplements | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 0 | 0 |
| Food and Beverages | 11 | 2 |
| Medical Devices | 0 | 0 |
| Radiation Emitting Products | 0 | 0 |
| Tobacco | 0 | 0 |
According to the database, Whole Foods has less product recalls, which means they are likely to have the higher quality products in comparison to Fresh Market.
Fresh Market: 11 Total Recalls
Whole Foods: 2 Total Recalls
It is important to note that Whole Foods only has 2 recorded product recalls, which is extremely low. Most other grocery stores average between 10 and 22, so having 2 recalls is exemplary.
If you consider yourself a shopper that prioritizes high quality products, then Whole Foods is the right spot for you to shop at.
Product Variety: Fresh Market vs Whole Foods
The variety of products offered at a store is also a very large consideration. While it may not be as important of a factor as price or quality, many shoppers enjoy having multiple options to pick from well it may not be as important of a factor as price or quality, many shoppers do enjoy having multiple options to pick from.
So when looking at these two stores, which one will give customers more variety to pick from?
Both stores are considered supermarkets, which means they each carry the same types of items; that being produce and other consumables. This makes it a pretty even comparison.
| Total Fresh Market Products | Total Whole Foods Products |
| 20,000 – 30,000 products | 30,000 products |
It appears that they each sell a similar range of items, although Whole Foods averages a bit more. This means you are likely to see a similar amount of items at each store. So, if you are a shopper that likes having many options at your disposal, both of these stores will give you a very similar number of products to pick from.
Which One Should You Shop At: Fresh Market vs Whole Foods?
When to shop at Fresh Market: Fresh Market is more expensive and has lower quality products. There is no apparent reason why you would pick this store over Whole Foods. So, unless it is your only option, you are better off shopping at Whole Foods.
When to shop at Whole Foods: Whole Foods offers better prices and higher quality. If you are the type of customer that enjoys getting good deals and quality products, then there is no doubt that you should pick Whole Foods.