I've gone to whole foods as well and I think it has something to do with the fact that the nuts are old and sit on the shelf for awhile as many people buy nuts from regular stores because they're cheaper there. check exp. dates on products. whole foods has a policy where they will take old foods back if you are not comfortable. i had an issue a few years back with whole foods market bin/bulk foods. I was finding alot of filth in that stuff and I encouraged them to clean their bins out more often.

I would recommend only buying unshelled nuts.

Nuts contain fat. They will quickly turn rancid if
exposed to light, and air. Never buy nuts out of a
bin.

I agree with the other poster, that sometimes nuts are just too old and get rancid.
Try ordering from sunorganic.com. I have been ordering seeds/nuts only from here. Never got anything rancid and the price is fair too.

Suz.