Frog is Wrong
We’ve been a fan of Whole Foods Almond Milk for several months. Pretty much once we discovered it, we loved. However, starting in May 2013, we started seeing some issues with the milk. In our blog about Frothing Almond Milk we have tracked the changes in foaming quality based on expiration date. While no ingredients have changed, these different batches have significant difference in how they foam leading us to believe that there is some sort of ingredient change or quality control issue.
Now several wholes foods seem to have cleared the shelves completely of their Whole Foods 365 Organic Almond Milk. At our local store, there’s not even a place for it anymore. We’ve been told it’s a production problem with their supplier. Estimates of a few weeks to a few months were given, but nothing solid yet.
Update July 11th 2013
According one of the Whole Foods Facebook Pages, the Milk is now back in stock. It could take a few days to actually reach the shelves of your local store, but hopefully it will be there very soon.
The official statement seems to be that it’s a “new recipe/formula” so hopefully it will be an improvement and one that is consistent carton to carton. From Whole Foods: “Wanted to give you a heads up that our 365 Almond Milk is back in stock, and still free from Carrageenan.”
Update July 15th 2013
Still no stock at our local stores. The rep at the Whole Foods here said that it would not be until August. Though there are reports of it being in stock in other states.
Update August 2013
Finally! It’s back in stock at our local stores. We’ve heard some mixed feedback here about the recipe, but so far we’ve liked it. Our primary use is for foaming milk to use in coffee and we are glad to saw that the new recipe is back to actually foaming and foaming well.
Comments
Summer #
Yes, I have noticed the same thing at our WF stores in the Bay Area. When I ask the clerks, they all seem clueless. One mentioned it could be a supply issue, whatever that means. I didn’t notice a change in the almond milk, but I do notice that it is one of the few organic brands out there. WF is currently being sued by the Attorney General for carrying ginger with lead in it, so maybe they are being more cautious. Who knows, but I am amiss without their 365 almond milk.
ste (Author) #
@Summer
Thank you for your comments. I agree, we are a bit amiss without the 365 Almond Milk. We are trying to find another brand. We are still finding the non-refrigerated in stock – but it’s still not quite the same as it was 2-3 months ago.
Thank for the information about the ginger. Hopefully it’s not a quality control or contamination issue with the almond milk. Maybe the supplier of one of the organic ingredients in having issues or something.
If you hear anything, please let us know and we’ll do the same.
Gis #
Same in Miami, Florida. I could not find WF almond milk anywhere for a couple if weeks. I asked a clerk and he mentioned due to a “new package” will be out of stock for couple of months. Now I wonder if is a quality issue. Anyway, I’ve tried other brands and do not taste the same. I’ll try homemade.
Angela #
Found your post in a random google search. I’m so heartbroken over our 365 almond milk being gone. It has been a staple in our house for years. It’s so hard to find the right combo of ORGANIC + UNSWEETENED + NON-FLAVORED (vanilla) almond milk in any other brand that is actually good tasting. I have been buying Pacific organic almond milk and it has a strange taste that I just can’t get beyond. If you get updates, please let me know. My store (Yonkers, NY) told us that they are changing vendors and weren’t sure when they would have it back in. :(
ste (Author) #
@GIS
@Angela
Thank you for your comments. I just heard the good news today that Whole Foods Almond Milk should be back in stock with in the next few days. Hopefully this is true for stores across the country. They stated that it’s a new formula so hopefully it will taste the same or better. Also good news that it will continue to not have Carrageenan
Keep me posted if you see it in stock and what your thoughts are on the new recipe.
@GIS We’ve been trying a lot of different brands and have not found anything that is as good. We did try making out own which made a very rich tasting milk that also foamed well (for our espresso). When I get a chance to repeat it with pictures I’ll post the process.
Emma #
I’ve noticed for about a month now that I can’t seem to find it anywhere in LA. I stopped drinking coffee so I significantly cut back on my use of almond milk over the past couple of months, but recently have been wanting to use it for different recipes. I asked today, and like another member commented, the clerk was clueless. Another one overheard and said the same thing, “packaging error” and would be back by August. It’s all fishy to me.
I’ve been watching a lot of Homeland recently, so I have many conspiracy theories developing on the subject.
ste (Author) #
@Emma,
Thank you for the email. Were in CA too and have not seen any in stock at our local stores. There’s been some postings on Whole Foods (for other states) pages on Facebook saying that it’s in stock. Not sure what the delay is for CA – maybe since it’s a new recipe it has to go through some sort of approval or they are just releasing it to test markets.
If I found out more info, I’ll post here.
Meggo #
The Almond Milk is back in NC stores and the new formula is terrible. It is so thick and creamy like buttermilk. I hate it and will buy Almond Breeze from now on.
Jass #
Hi there! I’m happy to report that in Palm Beach Gardens fl, the 365 almond milk is back in stock! :0)
Diana #
My store in Tampa started stocking the almond milk again about a week or so ago, but the consistency is completely off, it’s starting to resemble rice milk. The packaging appears to remain the same, but I’m going to continue looking for a substitute.
Sofia Gulino #
It’s baaaaaaaaack! Bought my first couple cartons in months at WF in Fairfield, CT
John Marsh #
I suspect it was pulled from the shelves because it had a gelling agent or something else that made it not truly organic. The reason I say this is because, now that it’s back, it’s consistency is less like milk and more like “powder in water”. Also, WF has been very…deliberately…vague about this. Their public statement is exactly what you would expect it to be in this situation: “We are updating the recipe”.
ste (Author) #
@Meggo @Jass @Diana @Sofia
Thank you for the updates here. I’ve been traveling to two other cities and seen the new Almond Milk, but as of today 8/5/2013 it’s still not stocked at the Whole Foods here – which is strange to me!
Also thank you for the opinions on the new recipe. I’m eager to try it out both in general and to foam in our coffee. We’ve temporarily switched to Almond Breeze but it’s not the same on a few levels.
ste (Author) #
@John
Thank you for your post. I agree that they have been a bit wishy-washy and vague about this. I’ve heard things like “recipe change” and “new packager” and “new distributor” and similar suggestions. I’m still not quite sure why it’s not in stock locally but I have seen it in other cities (as well as others who have reported here). A few days is one thing, but it’s odd to me that some cities would get it weeks/months before another city.
I’m also curious if it was an issue with a certain ingredient and a regulatory/organic organization. I wonder if some state’s (or even city’s) regulations are affected and others are not. Perhaps more than one recipe is out there and this could be dictating the difference in availability?
If you hear anything, please let us know.
Bill #
I’ve noticed it breaks in coffee and is very unpleasant.
Jorge #
Whole Foods’ 365 brand used to be my favorite almond milk. I poured my first bowl of cereal with the “new formula” this morning, and the carton is going back to the store. It’s just awful – watery, no flavor, the consistency of a really bad skim milk.
Marcia #
The problem with 365 brand almond milk is that they reduced its calcium content from 30-45% to only 10%. I’m disappointed because I drink almond milk for the calcium content and healthy bones. Ten percent is insufficient. I’m putting this out there so that Whole Foods hopefully notices and goes back to 30-45%. Please, Whole Foods.
Mary Hodder #
In early Jan, 2014, there was a batch of 365 ORG Almond Milk that wouldn’t foam (dated Feb 25 2014 in the Bay Area).. I checked in a few Whole Foods and for about a week, every store had that date.. we don’t like it when it doesn’t foam so wanted to try another date. About a week later, all the packages changed to Feb 26 2014 and foam very well.
One thing about this quality and availability issue: Non-Pareil Almonds are the nice looking ones you eat by the handful and see roasted, etc. Pareils are the ones that are ugly.. and used to grind up for almond milk, almond meal, cereals, etc. Given that 1% of the worlds almonds are organic, and NPs get about $1 more a pound than Ps, almond farmers have to grow a mix of them, they try to do more with the NPs because there’s more money in it. And given the demand for organics is up year over year about 20%, and that .5% or less of world supply are the kind that can make almond milk, I assumed that the shortage last year for 365 and other organic almond milks was about running out at the end of the year before harvest of the Pareils that could make it.
When 365 disappeared at the local WF stores (I checked about 6) last summer, so did Pacific, Trader Joe’s, etc.. in our area.. there was no almond milk to be found after a week or two, regardless of whether it was organic — including the box kind that lasts for 9 months on the shelf. NPs are too expensive to make almond milk with, and by May or June, 9 months after the last harvest, no-one is getting almonds in quantity if they didn’t already buy or reserve them the prior fall.
I assumed the shortages last year were due to lack of organic Pareils and the quality may have suffered if they tried to mess with the recipe there, at the end when they suffered production quality.
This is my guess anyway. But it could have been something else.
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