Buffett Affirms Junk Food, Citing Lack of Smiles at Whole Foods

[former9thward]

Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is the largest investor in Coca-Cola Co. and owns See’s Candies, affirmed his confidence in the market for sugary treats, even as the health costs of sweets become better known.

Buffett, 84, told shareholders at Berkshire’s annual meeting Saturday in Omaha, Nebraska, that happiness is important to longevity and that consumers enjoy Coke products.

“I don’t see smiles on the faces of people at Whole Foods,” he said, citing a grocery chain known for offerings such as almond butter and organic frozen blue curled kale.

Berkshire has 400 million shares of Atlanta-based Coca-Cola, a stake valued at more than $16 billion based on Friday’s closing price. The soft-drink maker’s stock is little changed in the past 12 months while Whole Foods slipped 3 percent.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-02/buffett-affirms-junk-food-citing-lack-of-smiles-at-whole-foods

He is right about this. At health food places all I have ever seen are stern faces.

[ScreamingMeemie]

1. I don't shop at Whole Foods because I won't pay ridiculously high prices for healthy

food and choose to support local stands/farms/etc. But, the people I personally know who shop there aren't people I find myself gravitating toward because of their extreme levels of happiness and joy.

[Scootaloo]

2. Having seen the prices at Whole Foods, I can't blame people for not smiling

And of course you should be confident in the market for sugar - that stuff is like crack. Literally, it activates the same chunks of the brain that cocaine does. but unlike cocaine, we are actually genetically "programmed" to seek out sugar and sweets. Because, you know, we're fucking primates, and nothing is prettier to a primate than a colorful thing full of sugar.

[Scootaloo]

15. Well yeah, I don't really get the supposed dichotomy

I was just on a rant about the impact our primitive monkey-brains have on our purchase habits

[jeepers]

3. Seriously?

As opposed to the obese coca cola guzzling toothless grins you will find in the soda isle

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

4. What a stupid fking thing to say. Does everyone at McD's have smiles? And I've seen plenty of smiles

at Whole Foods.

If I'm not smiling when I'm there, it's because I hate putting money into the pocket of an RW spouting owner. Unfortunately the even more local Health Food Store to me also has an RW type owner.

But there are some things I want to buy that I can't get elsewhere, so I do shop at those places.

[Agschmid]

5. I shop at whole foods almost exclusively...

I'm chubby, and everyone but me looks hungry. So what he says is likely true.

That being said...

Haha.

[Big Blue Marble]

6. When were you last in a health food store?

I was in Whole Foods yesterday. Friday is always a party atmosphere. They have free beer and food on Friday
afternoon. I saw lots of smiles and no kale. Oh, and I purchased a delicious coffee chocolate mousse with chocolate
ganache in the bakery. A real smile maker for sure!

[former9thward]

11. Its been a while.

I prefer being ripped off by Safeway, etc.

[hatrack]

7. Ah, some anecdotal bullshit - but wait! The purveyor is RICH!

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

8. And, by the way, the worst thing about what passes for so-called "health food"

is that its purveyors, Like Buffet, do not seem to give a shit that loads of sugar is not healthful.

[GeorgeGist]

9. Greed has no shame.

[Warpy]

10. Mr. Buffett, if you want to see smiles on the faces of the underpaid 99%

you need to do two things: put your considerable fortune behind both raising wages and ending the drug war.

[gollygee]

12. Not at my local food co-op

Everyone is warm and friendly there <3

Shop food co-ops, everyone!

[PeoViejo]

13. The health Food Store I went to this AM was quite friendly.

..and the free food samples were better than anything Sam's Club would ever have.