Press Release

Whole Foods Market Announces Fourth Quarterly Dividend

September 22, 2004. Austin, TX. Whole Foods Market, Inc. (Nasdaq: WFMI) today announced that its Board of Directors declared its fourth quarterly dividend. The Company estimates it will pay out approximately $9 million to shareholders in the $0.15 per share dividend which is payable October 18, 2004 to shareholders of record at the close of business on October 8, 2004.

About Whole Foods Market

Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market® is a Fortune 500 company and the largest natural and organic foods retailer. The Company had sales of $5.6 billion in fiscal year 2006 and currently has 188 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The following constitutes a "Safe Harbor" statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward looking statements. These risks include but are not limited to general business conditions, the timely development and opening of new stores, the impact of competition, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including the reports on Form 10-K and 10-K/A Amendment No. 1 for the fiscal year ended September 25, 2005. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.