Organic Trends

Organic purchases are among the hot trends noted by industry watchers.* Results from a national survey released by the Food Marketing Institute and Prevention magazine showed 44 percent of respondents purchased organic fruits and vegetables in a six-month period, versus 38 percent a year earlier. In addition, 30 percent purchased organic milk or other dairy products (up from 23 percent), 29 percent purchased organic cereals, breads or pasta (up from 25 percent), 24 percent purchased organic meats or poultry (versus 17 percent) and organic packed goods (up from 21 percent), 21 percent purchased organic eggs (up from 18 percent), and 16 percent purchased organic soups and sauces (up from 12 percent). The chief motivation cited for buying organic foods was perceived nutritional value, followed by long-term health effects. Just over half of respondents listed the environmental impact of growing or producing these foods.

The Shopping for Health 2006: Making Healthy Eating Easier telephone survey conducted in July 2006 included more than 1,000 adults.* A Dec. 28, 2006, article by Marilynn Marter in the Philadelphia Inquirer listed organic foods among the top food trends and buzzwords for 2007.

Other news & trends

Organic To Go, a fast-casual café certified as an organic retailer, surpassed $10 million in sales during 2006, finishing the year with 11 retail stores and 10 wholesale locations at office buildings, universities, hospitals and airports in Southern California and Western Washington state. In January, it was available in 13 new locations, including Cal State Northridge, the Jet Propulsion Labs in Pasadena, CA, seven new locations on the Microsoft campus in Redmond, WA, two new locations at UCLA, and two new Organic To Go stores in Seattle, WA, and Century City, CA.