There's money to be made in the 'natural' sector

Supermarket strategies for marketing and merchandising the natural and organic foods are becoming increasingly sophisticated as this segment slowly works its way into the mainstream. This segment is still working off a small base, but it has been seeing double-digit growth for so long that traditional supermarkets have taken notice. Efforts by some major branded manufacturers to target the health food consumer have fallen short of the mark because of a perceived lack of quality and/or taste. All natural new product introductions are up 36.9% over the past year, and organic launches are up 16.6%, according to New Product News. This bucks the overall trend of food introductions, which are down in the double digits.