Higher Prices? Reduced Quality? Fewer Choices?

"If Whole Foods is allowed to devour Wild Oats, it will mean higher prices, reduced quality and fewer choices for consumers," Jeffrey Schmidt, director of the FTC's bureau of competition, said in a statement.

In its investigation, the FTC uncovered evidence that Whole Foods saw the deal as a way simply to eliminate its main rival in dozens of cities, lawyers close to the case said. The premium Whole Foods was willing to pay for Wild Oats and its plans to shutter many of those stores led investigators to suspect the deal would lead to higher prices for consumers, those close to the investigation said."

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