FTC blocks organic broccoli deal

You gotta be kidding. The feds should be taking on big oil or monster insurance companies or maybe even a private equity firm or two. So what do they go after? Wild Oats Markets and Whole Foods Market Inc. That's right, the Federal Trade Commission has turned down the merger of the two companies, saying that the deal is anti-competitive (never mind that organic grub can be found at most every market these days and that the two chains generate a fraction of the revenue of, say, a Wal-Mart or a Kroger). Must be some kind of hush-hush vegetable cabal out there. Well, at least the two companies plan to file a lawsuit that challenges the turn down. Here's the Wild Oats press release and the Reuters story.