NEW YORK — Whole Foods shareholders and federal regulators approved Amazon’s $13.7 billion acquisition of the organic grocer, a deal that could bring big changes to the supermarket industry and how people order groceries online.

Two moves forward came Wednesday. Whole Foods shareholders gave their blessing to a union that its CEO had called “love at first sight.” And the Federal Trade Commission said in a brief statement that it had looked into competition concerns and would not block the deal.

Whole Foods shareholders voted to bless a $13.7 billion union with Amazon, and the FTC said it won't block it. Associated Press/Eric Gay, Alan Diaz

The FTC investigated whether the takeover “substantially lessened competition” or “constituted an unfair method of competition,” said Bruce Hoffman, acting director of the agency’s Bureau of Competition. “Based on our investigation we have decided not to pursue this matter further.”

A union that represents food-industry workers had asked the FTC to scrutinize the deal closely, saying it could hurt competition and lead to job cuts. Regulators tend to block deals when two direct competitors are combining, and Amazon – despite its dominance in the online marketplace – doesn’t currently have a big groceries business.

Still, rivals are scrambling to catch up with the e-commerce giant. Wal-Mart, which has the largest share of the U.S. grocery market, is expanding its grocery delivery service with ride-hailing service Uber, and announced Wednesday that it will join forces with Google to let shoppers order goods by voice on Google devices.

Before the deal was announced in June, Whole Foods had been under intense shareholder pressure to improve results and retain customers who have more choices about where to get natural foods. As Whole Foods grew, more supermarkets offered similar organic and natural foods, but at cheaper prices.

As part of the deal, Amazon will pay Whole Foods shareholders $42 for each share they own.

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