Whole Foods Stores Eliminating Plastic Straws in Stores In a response to customer demands, Whole Foods has decided to stop offering plastic straws in all 500 of its stores. The company will now offer paper straws in their juice bars, coffee bars and cafes, with plastic straws still available for those with disabilities. Whole Foods claims to be the first national grocery chain to make this environmentally friendly change. They’ve also pledged to reduce their plastic usage in other departments by offering smaller plastic bags in the produce section, as well as by replacing the hard plastic cases for their rotisserie chickens with bags that are 70% less plastic. Whole Foods, via statement Whole Foods previously made environmentally conscious changes in 2008 when they stopped offering disposable plastic bags at checkout. They now only use paper bags and offer reusable plastic bags for purchase.