Dueling Fools: Whole Foods Market

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Are you the kind of investor looking for a company that takes organic growth seriously? Then maybe Whole Foods Market (Nasdaq: WFMI) is your kind of place. Natural foodstuffs aren't just for folks who gargle with wheat germ in the morning. Look up the wide portfolio of items that Hain Celestial (Nasdaq: HAIN) puts out, and I'm sure that even the most finicky of eaters will crave something they see.

My 7-year-old loves junk food, but good luck trying to pass off anything that isn't vanilla-flavored soy milk. Still, like Tim Beyers -- who happens to be the bear in this week's bout -- I wind up going to Whole Foods rival Wild Oats (Nasdaq: OATS) more often than Whole Foods, but for geographical reasons.

I go to Whole Foods maybe once every other month, but I just get a kick out of everything from the fine flooring to the timed water sprinkling system in the produce section. It feels fresh. It feels right. I almost forget how much I'm paying!

David and Tom Gardner have both recommended Whole Foods in the past to Stock Advisor newsletter service subscribers. Tom was smitten in the summer of 2002. With the stock trading more than 73% higher less than a year later, he advised selling the shares. Great gain, sure, but the stock ultimately went on to trade much higher. Last year was when David singled it out. How will that pick pan out? Only time will tell.

So should Whole Foods Market be part of your natural stock selection process? Not all Fools agree. Alyce Lomax thinks the company's track record deserves your attention. Tim Beyers thinks the shares are overpriced.

Does Whole Foods Market belong in your portfolio? That's what this week's Duel is all about.

Duel on!

• Read the bear argument
• Read the bull argument
• Read the bearish rebuttal
• Read the bullish rebuttal
• Vote for the winner