Whole Foods says SEC concludes message board probe

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Whole Foods Market (WFMI.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Friday that Securities and Exchange Commission staffers have concluded a probe into its chief executive's anonymous Web chat room messages about then-rival Wild Oats Markets and recommended no action be taken.

Whole Foods said in July 2007 it had received an SEC inquiry related CEO John Mackey's anonymous postings on a Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) chat forum. Mackey for years used an alias when he posted positive comments about Whole Foods and critical comments about rival Wild Oats, which his company later acquired.

(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein; Editing by Andre Grenon)