The chief of US organic food retailer Whole Foods Market is under investigation for posting messages on the internet about a rival firm.

John Mackey used the pseudonym “Rahodeb” to make comments about Wild Oats, a company Whole Foods is hoping to acquire in a $565 million (£275.5m) deal.

Finance watchdogs are now investigating the posts, while Whole Foods itself has launched an independent enquiry.

Mackey has apologies for his “error” in the wake of the news.

“I sincerely apologise to all Whole Foods market stakeholders for my error in judgment in anonymously participating on online financial message boards,” he said in a statement. “I am very sorry and I ask our stakeholders to please forgive me.”

Mackey last week admitted he was behind the postings on Yahoo’s message board between 1999 and 2006. While some posts praised the company, others claimed it was over-valued and poorly run.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) contacted Whole Foods last week about its investigation into the matter. The grocer said it was cooperating, but declined to comment further.

The SEC is expected to assess whether Mackey’s posts broke any rules on disclosure, or whether they could be seen as an attempt to manipulate the share price of Whole Foods or Wild Oats.

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