The wait is over! Whole Foods 365 Market is now open in Akron, Ohio offering affordable grocery items without artificial colors, sweeteners, or preservatives. You don’t have to read the labels because they did it for you!
Check out my shopping experience below with tons of pictures to learn why I’m such a fan. 
Whole Foods 365 Market – Now Open!
I attended the grand opening of Whole Foods 365 on W. Market Street last week – I couldn’t wait to load up my cart with their amazing selection of quality foods, especially their produce department. Their produce section is the same size as traditional Whole Foods stores.
Aisle after aisle, I found a wide assortment of vegetables and fruit at really good prices.
I personally love variety, especially when it comes to produce. I like to try new varieties in recipes to keep cooking healthy fun for my family. Whole Foods 365 surpasses in the variety department. Just look at these amazing heirloom tomatoes!
I’m not sure the exact measurement of the produce section but it feels like a larger proportion than other grocery stores, which I feel it should be.
Beyond conventional and organic whole vegetables and fruit, Whole Foods 365 offers a fantastic assortment of packaged, ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables that are perfect for munching, packing for lunch, and snacking. 
Next to the produce section is their Grab-and-go section with great options for a quick lunch or to take home for dinner including sushi, pizza, sandwiches, pastas, and more. Plus, you can pick up a fruit or veggie tray for your next party. I was so impressed by the volume of choices in this area with many options to choose from in each category. Just look at the variety of dips, spreads, and salsas below. I plan to pick up a couple varieties for the next get together we go to.
I was pleased with both the selection and prices on the wraps, salads, and snacks in this section. It is a great place to grab lunch, pick up items for a family picnic, or for dinner. 
There is even a cooler of delicious sweets to surprise your family! We all deserve a sweet treat now and then. I love that there are no artificial colors, sweeteners, or preservatives even in their desserts.
The hot bars are incredible and stocked with lots of choices of fresh foods! Choose from meatloaf, veggie cakes, pastas, grilled veggies and meats, cold salads, soups, pizza, Indian entrees, and so much more. What an assortment!
My husband and I love Indian food but my kids don’t. This is a great way to enjoy our favorites while the kids can choose what they like. There is something for everyone in the family – for every taste.
The pizza bar is quite popular with a lot of choices of topping combinations.
The antipasto bar is impressive as well with every kind of olive you can imagine as well as tapenades, artichokes, beets, cauliflower, and roasted garlic. We love trying new types of olives and snacking on them at home, so this will be a favorite for sure. The pricing is right on per pound as well, competitively priced with other local retailers.
Who can resist a good, clean salad bar?! Whole Foods 365 has plenty of toppings for you to create your favorite salad as well as many prepared cold veggie and pasta salads.
All of the meat at Whole Foods 365 has no added hormones and antibiotics free. Whether you purchase in their meat department or frozen foods, you know you can trust the high quality standards of their meat. Choose from beef, pork, chicken, goose, duck, pheasant, Cornish hens, quail and goat. Not only is the meat better for you but you can feel good knowing that their animal welfare standard are high as they work closely with their farmers and rancher partners.
Whole Foods 365 proudly provides sustainable seafood. This means that they source their seafood from responsibly managed fish farms and fisheries that you can trust. All of their seafood is traceable to farm or fishery, so you know exactly what you are feeding your family.
I can’t get over how many easy meals can be sourced for Whole Foods 365! It seems like everywhere you turn there is another great option like these frozen family and individual entrees near the meat department. These are great to stock up on for hectic week nights! I love having a meal or two that I can rely on for those crazy nights, especially when it is a healthy, tasty option.
Several years ago I was introduced to Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value organic frozen vegetables and fruits and love the quality.
I always have a variety of vegetable blends for a quick side dish. They also make a great, healthy base for entrees like adding chicken or beef to their Mediterranean blend of zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, green beans, red peppers, and onion. My kids have literally asked if I added sugar to the vegetables because they taste so good – “no, dear, that is what fresh, organic vegetables taste like!”
Even though you don’t have to read the labels at Whole Foods 365, I spied several people doing it anyway during the open house. Don’t worry, there are no harmful food additives, and never artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, or sweeteners. Whole Foods 365 does all of the label reading so we don’t. I love that I can relax while shopping because I know everything there is real food without unacceptable ingredients.
Buying local is important for our local economy. Whole Foods 365 makes it really easy to buy local when many locally sourced items throughout the store with their “Friends of 365” program. Even their coffee shop, Artisan Coffee is a local Akron company. Pick up a tea, coffee, specialty coffee and pastry before you start shopping.
Or pick up a bag of local Artisan Coffee to enjoy at home. 
I love seeing local businesses and their products at Whole Foods 365. Cleveland Kraut is amazing and located near the dairy section. 
Another thing you have to check out is their Rewards 365 program. Get all kinds of special deals, discounts, free products, $5 off $25 offers, and even sales just for you with this program! They are offering a ton of incentives for the grand opening so I suggest signing up right away. 
With the Rewards 365 program you will also get every day deals like Buy 5 Get 1 Free eggs. Everything is digital, so you don’t have to carry around an extra card or remember to redeem your savings – it is all automatic when you give them your phone # or scan your number on your phone.
Even though the grand opening day was busy, I had a fabulous time shopping and loaded up my cart with healthy, delicious food for my family. This entire card load was less than $50 after my Rewards 365 savings!
Check-out is fast, friendly, and personable. 
After shopping, stop by Fire Leaf for pan-Asian stir fry, salads, seafood, and sushi located at the front of the store. Or, place your order at Taqueria while shopping for delicious in-house prepared tacos, bowls, and burritos.
I am so excited to have Ohio’s first Whole Foods 365 as our neighborhood grocery store. It is a great in-and-out store that has all the variety, quality, selection, and value for families in the greater Akron area. It makes healthy eating easy for busy families.
