Natural Foods

Consumer interest in, and concern for, health and nutrition has driven natural and organic foods and products right into the thick of mainstream. Once available only in co-ops or health food stores, natural and organic foods have made definite headway into the traditional grocery market and now represent the fastest-growing segment of the grocery industry.

A recent article in Organic & Natural News reported that people who buy natural products are more educated—69% of female and 74% of male natural products shoppers report higher education, ranging from some college to post-graduate degrees. They are in a higher income bracket—the highest percentage of natural foods shoppers report an annual household income of $60,000 or more. And, they are younger—almost two-thirds are between the ages of 30 and 59, with an even distribution of singles, couples and parents.

Perhaps the best news for supermarkets, though, is that most natural foods shoppers (56%) are currently buying their organic foods at a grocery store rather than a natural products store. And, 60% of the consumers polled for one of the surveys cited in the Organic & Natural News article indicated they had never bought organic food products, but would be willing to try them.