Whole Foods adds nationwide availability to cart with new U.S. Amazon launch

It's been a long time since Houston was one of the only cities with access to Whole Foods Market. But now, it's more people's turn.

Not only is the brand now unrecognizably gigantic, but shopper's habits are too, especially when it comes to shopping online. Monday, August 7 marked the nationwide Amazon launch of 365 by Whole Foods Market. That means that anyone using Amazon can access "hundreds" of these products via shipping across the U.S. Prime subscribers get even more perks with free shipping.

Whole Foods is still mostly relegated to larger cities. (Very sorry to the people in Central Missouri.) Not everyone can make it into a store, so this may be the only way some can access the growing grocery giant.

The company was acquired by Amazon in 2017 for a cash transaction "valued at approximately $13.7 billion," according to a Whole Foods announcement at the time. The crunchy shoppers of Whole Foods balked at the corporate transition, but not much changed that a casual shopper would notice. In fact, the most salient shift was a very pleasant discount at checkout for Prime subscribers.

This rollout will obviously change more of the shopping experience than the original acquisition. Now, online shoppers can set up automatic restocks at a 15 percent discount via a program called "Subscribe and Save."

Some of the products hitting virtual shelves according to a release include:

• "Spirulina superfood powder, vanilla grass fed whey protein, and adult multivitamins"
• "Pantry staples like organic honey, french roast coffee, and roasted cashews"
• "Customer favorites like cape cod trail mix, organic strawberry cereal bars, gummy stars, mini dark chocolate almond butter cups and organic teriyaki beef jerky"

In addition to expanding overall access to the store brand and providing discounts, this rollout will also be useful for shoppers who want to send nonperishable care packages. Even some refrigerated and raw items are available if the recipient is confident they can get to the door for them right away.

If loved ones in college need a healthy push, or older parents with health concerns have trouble picking up their own groceries, Whole Foods' stringent ingredient guidelines could save the day — or at least a meal. Among many other rules, products in this line contain no hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrup, or artificial sweeteners.

Browse the available 365 by Whole Foods Market goods exclusively on Amazon on in stores.