Whole Foods Market stores have quietly been removing their baked in-house vegan products from stores in some areas for months now and I have details as to why that’s happening and when you can expect to see some items return. Some stores may still have baked in-house products available until stockpiles are depleted regionally but some stores haven’t seen items for months.
Why the change?
To reduce labor costs, mislabeling and to reduce cross contamination, Whole Foods Market has made the decision to stop baking off items in stores and to bring in items prepackaged clearly labeled vegan. Stores had been receiving batters and doughs and baking them fresh in store and then labeling with a vegan sticker but this process had issues being very labor intensive and opening up the possibility of stickers being misused. Some stores had neglected to place stickers on vegan items and vegan stickers were going on products that were not actually vegan.
What’s coming back?
The first items that been arriving in stores starting in January 2024 are vegan chocolate chip cookies and blueberry muffins. The cookies are allegedly made by Divvies and the muffins by Abe’s Muffins. They’re clearly labeled vegan and do not list any cross contamination warnings but that does not mean they won’t have trace amounts of allergens. Allegedly, Whole Foods is actively searching for manufacturers with dedicated bake houses to reduce contamination.
Vegan brownie 4-packs are supposedly due to be back in stores prepackaged starting end of January/early February of 2024.
Vegan croissant 4-packs are supposedly coming back March 2024 and singles may be back sometime in late 2024 or 2025 so you may have to wait for those.
Blueberry scone 4-packs are scheduled to be back in March of 2024. I don’t think date walnut or other varieties will be returning just yet. I also don’t know of any plans to sell “take and bake” items again just yet. Croissants, scones and cookies were available at some locations.
Coming in 2025
Whole Foods Market is actively working to bring back whole cakes and slices, cupcakes, oatmeal raisin and double chocolate cookies as soon as possible but right now it might not be until 2025 so we will have to be patient for their return. The shortbread jelly filled sandwich cookies by the pound (seasonal and core flavors) will still be available as they’re a different program I’m told so you will still see those at stores that carried them.
What about the vegan donuts?
Unfortunately, I’ve been told that Posh Bakery vegan donuts are discontinued and they’re only planning on bringing in non-vegan donuts this year. This was due to many factors.
- The donuts broke and crumbled easily leading to a large amount of waste.
- The icing wasn’t stable. It often melted and made for a bad display and eating experience.
- They were difficult to execute by team members.
Some seasonal vegan items like the holiday pies may be returning in 2025 as they source new vendors. They are trying not to leave vegans high and dry so there’s hope eventually that items will be back. Whether or not the quality and freshness will up to snuff is still to be determined but I’ve been told they’re trying. It’s a process of solving issues while offering quality products but from what’s already been distributed, some feel they are already missing the mark. If you’ve tried some of the new offerings, please comment with your thoughts.
UPDATE March 2024
Vegan brownie 4-packs are starting to hit stores. They have different ingredients than the previous brownies sold (stores might still be making singles but from what I’m told, only 4-packs will be sold going forward for $7.99 – price may vary regionally). Singles were $2.50 previously so at $7.99 for four, the new packs are less expensive. The new ones seem a bit thicker and more cake-like to me but I enjoyed them.
Vegan date nut scones were the best can’t believe they’re gone
They may be coming back. No one is 100% sure yet so there’s still hope!
Agree! Originally was told they’ll return by February. WF stores and bakeries are being kept in the dark.
The chocolate chip cookies that they brought back are not the same quality – they do not taste as good as before! I hope the brownies are the same when they bring them back!
Inside sources say the brand who makes them is Divvies.
This is helpful info. Thank you! What about Pretzilla products? Is Whole Foods going to stop carrying those products?
You’re welcome! As for Pretzilla, I have no idea but have recently seen them at my stores in Sarasota, FL so as far as I know, they’re not discontinued in my region anyway.
What about the vegan molasses (ginger) cookies??
Sorry don’t know about those. Best to ask your local Whole Foods bakery team for more information.
The problem I’m seeing in western NC is that a LOT of the vegan items, not just the WF brands, are disappearing. Upton’s seitan you can only get chorizo-flavored, BeeHive is gone, most of the Miyoko’s cheese is gone, the majority of vegan ice cream is out but NOT the dairy versions from those companies that make both. Nada Moo is gone. You can pretty much only get their shitty brand or So Delicious, which is owned by Dannon. Plus, I mean, there used to be actual options, like Revolution Gelato. Tate’s cookies, the vegan versions, are gone; and my sister told me that she had been checking out Chocolove’s vegan mints just yesterday and there is no longer a space for those, BUT the non-vegan similar stuff is still there (ie, caramels). Our local stores used to sell Chicago Diner cakes and slices, which were definitely vegan, but just stopped sometime last year. I’ve been vegan for 18 years and even as a vegetarian for 16 years before that I remember limited options, so it isn’t that which I find problematic in itself, but rather having them and then taking them away, that bugs me. And when I look at spaces on the shelves, the vegan things are almost always the first to sell out, so I don’t think it’s a supply/demand issue.