AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Thanks to responses by Whole Foods Market Team Members, FORTUNE magazine ranked the grocer on its "100 Best Companies to Work For" list for the sixteenth consecutive year. The nation's leading natural and organic supermarket ranked No. 71 and is one of only 13 companies that have made the list every year since its inception in 1998.

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"Our Team Members are the heart of Whole Foods Market, and it's clear we wouldn't be on this list year after year without their dedication to the company's mission and values," said Walter Robb, Co-CEO of Whole Foods Market. "We're grateful for every one of our Team Members."

FORTUNE cited one of the reasons Whole Foods Market again made the list is its transparency, from Team Members voting on new hires and going on field trips to visit suppliers to its open-book salary policy.

In a list of "All-star" companies that have been on the list every year since its inception, Whole Foods Market founder John Mackey was cited as "inspiring trust and purpose" among Team Members through his focus on running a business with a "higher purpose" that benefits all stakeholders. The magazine also pointed to Mackey's creation of an egalitarian work environment where executive salaries are capped at 19 times the average full-time salary, and where years ago, Mackey reduced his own annual salary to $1.

The list and related stories appear in the Feb. 4 issue of FORTUNE, which will be available on newsstands on Jan. 21 and at www.fortune.com.

About Whole Foods Market^®
Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com, NASDAQ: WFM), is the leading natural and organic food retailer. As America's first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named "America's Healthiest Grocery Store" by Health magazine. The company's motto, "Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet"™ captures its mission to ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member happiness and excellence, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to the company's more than 74,000 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in America by FORTUNE magazine for 16 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2012, the company had sales of $11.7 billion and currently has more than 340 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

About the Survey
To pick the 100 Best Companies to Work For, Fortune partners with the Great Place to Work Institute to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America: 259 firms participated in this year's survey. More than 277,000 employees at those companies responded to a survey created by the institute, a global research and consulting firm operating in 45 countries around the world. Two-thirds of a company's score is based on the results of the institute's Trust Index survey, which is sent to a random sample of employees from each company. The survey asks questions related to their attitudes about management's credibility, job satisfaction, and camaraderie. The other third is based on responses to the institute's Culture Audit, which includes detailed questions about pay and benefit programs and a series of open-ended questions about hiring practices, methods of internal communication, training, recognition programs, and diversity efforts. After evaluations are completed, if news about a company comes to light that may significantly damage employees' faith in management, we may exclude it from the list. Any company that is at least five years old and has more than 1,000 U.S. employees is eligible. For more information on how to apply, visit: http://bit.ly/n8bVJ3

For more information: libba.letton@wholefoods.com 
512-542-3031

SOURCE Whole Foods Market