Toronto Whole Foods employee departs with scathing letter to superiors, company

If you've ever had a job where you can't stand the boss, other employees or the company, you're not alone.

One Whole Foods former employee feels that way and isn't afraid to share it with anyone who will listen.

The currently unnamed worker from a Whole Foods Market in Toronto wrote a lengthy resignation letter that he sent out to the entire company.

He accuses it of failing to live up to its own core values, labeling it a 'faux hippie Wal-Mart.' The former employee also calls out a number of his superiors and fellow employees, taking personal shots at everything from his perceived lack of respect for women to the discussion of their workout habits.

(You can read the full letter that was republished by Gawker here.)

Many of his criticisms are levelled against Whole Foods' actions he believes go against 'Caring about our communities and our environment.' Wasteful food practices and the installation of televisions that are "sucking up energy and polluting the environment with tacky advertisements" are just a small sample.

But the bulk of his complaints don't sound so different from the experience of many other retail workers.

Anyone who has ever worked a minimum-wage job can likely relate to at least a few of his points, whether it's forced monthly team meetings, ancient computer systems or panicked cleaning before head office arrives.

What may set this situation apart is Whole Foods' core values and lofty moral position.

Whole Foods has been the source of a little controversy over the years

In 2009, CEO John Mackey wrote an editorial on how the Whole Foods' way of addressing health care is a superior alternative to 'ObamaCare'.

That op-ed got Mackey labeled as a 'right-wing zealot' and led to the boycotting of Whole Foods by some shoppers.

Earlier this year, Whole Foods received backlash from its employees and human rights advocates after attempting to introduce a healthy living program: 'team members' who reached certain goals based on cholesterol count, blood pressure, body-mass index and don't smoke can receive better in-store discounts than those who don't live up to those expectations.

Whether this resignation letter will spark a new round of controversy for Whole Foods remains to be seen.

UPDATE: When Yahoo! News Canada asked for Whole Foods' comment on this former employee's letter of resignation, they had this to say:

"We disagree with this former Team Member's statements, and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors."

(CP Photo)