Whole Foods Market, the largest US natural-foods grocer, has begun talks with the Federal Trade Commission to resolve the government’s antitrust review of its $565 million purchase of Wild Oats Markets Inc.

The FTC agreed to a company request to halt its review of the takeover until Feb. 5 to allow for the negotiations, the regulator in Washington said in an order posted on its Web site yesterday. It denied Whole Foods’ request to keep the talks secret.

“There is a strong presumption that the public has a right to know what is happening in the commission’s litigation, and respondent has made no showing to justify keeping these materials off the public record,” the FTC said in its order.

Whole Foods completed its purchase of Wild Oats last year after the FTC lost a court bid to block the deal.