Newsweek, working with market research firm Statista, has released its Most Trustworthy Companies in America list for 2026.
“In an era defined by a profound crisis of grievance, a corporation’s integrity is no longer a marketing luxury – it is its most volatile and valuable currency. True leadership requires more than just high-level strategies; it demands a radical, lived transparency that bridges the chasm between executive perception and the lived reality of the consumer,” said Jennifer Cunningham, Newsweek’s editor-in-chief.
This year’s ranking includes 700 companies in 23 industries, including Grocery & Convenience Stores.
Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Markets was ranked No. 1 for trustworthiness. Rochester-based Wegmans Food Markets came in at No. 17.
Whole Foods opened its first store in the Rochester market in 2023 at 2740 Monroe Ave., Brighton.
Study methodology
All companies, public or private, headquartered in the United States with revenues of more than $500 million annually were considered in the study.
The core of the analysis was an independent survey of approximately 25,000 U.S. residents, who rated companies they are familiar with on customer trust, employee trust and investor trust.
The study also looked at what people say about the companies on social media platforms.
Eighty percent of the overall score came from survey results, and 20% came from social media.
Newsweek’s top 10 most trustworthy Grocery & Convenience stores
Newsweek’s top 10 most trustworthy companies for 2026 in the Grocery & Convenience Stores category are:
How grocery stores ranked in past years
The survey is now in its fifth year.
In 2023, when the Grocery & Convenience Stores category was introduced, Lakeland, Florida-based Publix came in at No. 1. Whole Foods and Wegmans were not on the list that year.
Publix also came in at No. 1 in 2024, Whole Foods was ranked No. 3, and Wegmans was not ranked.
In 2025, Boise, Idaho-based WinCo Foods came in at No. 1, Whole Foods ranked No. 3, and Wegmans was No. 14.
Grocery stores by size
Whole Foods has more than 500 stores in the United States, Canada and the U.K. and is rapidly expanding.
Publix has 1,433 stores across the southeastern United States and also is in the midst of rapid expansion. It opened six stores in March and April alone.
WinCo Foods operates 145 employee-owned warehouse-style grocery stores across the West and Midwest and is adding locations at a steady, conservative pace.
Wegmans has 114 stores in nine Eastern states and the District of Columbia. Like WinCo, it is expanding its footprint slowly and deliberately.
Last year, CEO Colleen Wegman told “CBS Sunday Morning” that the family-owned chain founded in 1916 has no plans to go nationwide.
“It’s our goal to go to every store at least once a year because we want a personal relationship with our store management,” she said.
Added Wegmans President Nicole Wegman, “Our grandfather started that, so we like to stay small enough where we can still do that.”
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers the grocery business and consumer-focused grocery news, as well as retail development, openings and closings. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on X @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Wegmans’ trust ranking revealed as Whole Foods takes No. 1 spot
Reporting by Marcia Greenwood, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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