Showing results for: “%22whole foods%22”
I am so smart, s-m-r-t. . . I mean, s-m-a-r-t.
I’m not one to gloat. Ok, yes i am. As Thom indicated, the court reached what I believe is the right result in the Whole Foods case yesterday. I’ve been beating this drum since the merger challenge was announced (I won’t bother linking, yet again, to the series of posts. Search for “Whole Foods” up ... I am so smart, s-m-r-t. . . I mean, s-m-a-r-t.
Manne Vindicated!
Geoff made all the right arguments on the FTC’s embarrassing effort to thwart the Whole Foods/Wild Oats merger. Indeed, he was one of the first to do so and thereby earned an honored link on Whole Foods’ website. Judge Paul Friedman of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia just denied the ... Manne Vindicated!
Read Marc Hodak
His short post is here. The theme is, in essence, Bastiat’s “What is Seen and What is Not Seen.” Government (and, oh, I don’t know . . . antitrust regulators in particular) thrive on the unseen–as Marc puts it, on the unfortunate reality that “invisible opportunity costs stay[] that way.” As I argued at some ... Read Marc Hodak
Newsflash! AAI supports merger review!
In shocking news, the American Antitrust Institute has come out with a white paper suggesting that the FTC’s challenge of the Whole Foods/Wild Oats merger is warranted (HT: Hanno): The FTC cites to numerous factors and questions that make a highly compelling case for looking closely at whether a Whole Foods/Wild Oats combination will tend substantially to ... Newsflash! AAI supports merger review!
Whole Foods: Where's the [premium, natural and organic] beef?
John Mackey posts a remarkable public response to the FTC, including the complete text and extended exegesis of one of the inflammatory hot docs that prompted the FTC’s action. But most amazing of all is this comment: The claims that the FTC makes in the above two paragraphs [from the FTC press release] are simply ... Whole Foods: Where's the [premium, natural and organic] beef?
FTC's Whole Foods complaint: still bulls**t
As Manfred reports over at the Antitrust Review, the judge has unsealed the FTC’s complaint against Whole Foods. This unredacted version reveals an unhealthy reliance on hot docs by the FTC’s staff. I won’t belabor the point. But when you’re looking at marketing materials and reports to the board to identify anticompetitive intent (hmmm. I ... FTC's Whole Foods complaint: still bulls**t
More Thoughts on Whole Foods/Wild Oats
Geoff nailed it on the Whole Foods/Wild Oats affair last week. Always a day late and a dollar short, I’ve just written my own short piece on the FTC’s effort to block the merger of these two fancy grocers. My article appears on the website of the eSapience Center for Competition Policy (eCCP). You’ll have ... More Thoughts on Whole Foods/Wild Oats
FTC Rethinks Bad Pun?
Geoff’s post last week on the FTC’s move to block the Whole Foods/Wild Oats merger poked fun at a stupid pun appearing in the agency’s press release: “If Whole Foods is allowed to devour Wild Oats, it will mean higher prices, reduced quality, and fewer choices for consumers. That is a deal consumers should not ... FTC Rethinks Bad Pun?
Premium natural and organic bulls**t
It appears that the FTC is moving to stop the proposed Whole Foods/Wild Oats merger. Says the FTC: If Whole Foods is allowed to devour Wild Oats, it will mean higher prices, reduced quality, and fewer choices for consumers [in the premium natural and organic supermarkets market]. That is a deal consumers should not be ... Premium natural and organic bulls**t
Midwest Farmers 1, Environment 0, Poor People -1
Friday’s WSJ documented an effect of ethanol mandates: Rising costs for agricultural commodities are making their way up the food chain into the food you eat. Thanks to rising demand for corn-based ethanol, corn prices have nearly doubled during the past year. That’s raised costs for corn products, like the ubiquitous high-fructose corn syrup that’s ... Midwest Farmers 1, Environment 0, Poor People -1
NYT on Chicago’s Proposed Trans-Fat Ban
Today’s NYT contains an article on Chicago’s proposed trans-fat ban, which I criticized a couple of weeks ago. Most revealing is the chief ban proponent’s response to the argument that the city council should not try to regulate people’s (non-externality-causing) bad habits: And if the City Council had agreed to simply steer clear of peoples’ ... NYT on Chicago’s Proposed Trans-Fat Ban
What’s the Matter With Chicago?
When was my beloved City of Chicago – a refuge for such liberty lovers as Milton Friedman, Richard Epstein, and F.A. Hayek – overtaken by the Lifestyle Gestapo? First it was the smoking ban. Then, the ban on foie-gras. Now, the city’s most powerful alderman has proposed that the city ban the sale of foods ... What’s the Matter With Chicago?
