Nation’s 15-year Natural/Organic “Fad” to Grow by Additional 63% Market to Soar from $28.3 Billion in 2005 to $46.1 Billion in 2010

New York, May 26, 2006 — What was once considered a hippie or “alternative” fad has evolved into a national organic love fest that has taken American food marketers and retailers on a joy ride worth $28.3 billion in 2005, according to Natural and Organic Food and Beverage Industry Trends: Current and Future Patterns in Production, Marketing, Retailing, and Consumer Usage, the newest report from market research publisher Packaged Facts.

Packaged Facts projects sales of natural/organic food and beverages will soar past $46 billion by 2010, increasing by nearly 63%, as the popularity and availability of natural/organic products continues to gain momentum. The addition of Wal-Mart as a major purveyor of organics, rapid growth in all major supermarkets’ private label organic offerings, and highly anticipated expansion of the widely successful supermarket “lifestyle” stores assures the forthcoming exponential market growth.

In most cases, the growth of leading natural/organic brands continues to greatly outpace that of their respective categories, while organic products themselves are outselling “natural” ones because they are newer to mass channels and carry more clout with consumers because they are government-regulated.

“Organics have clearly become a way of life for millions of health-conscious Americans, and the success of the big 3—Whole Foods, Wild Oats, and Trader Joe’s—has finally awakened mainstream American retail to the viability of this market” notes Don Montuori, the publisher of Packaged Facts. “This research delves into the inner-sanctum of the industry showing why it has become—and will continue to be—the hottest area in food retailing.”

Focusing primarily on organics, Natural and Organic Food and Beverage Industry Trends provides an in-depth and far-reaching discussion of the current and projected retailing activities within the market. The report examines new product and promotional trends, offers competitive profiles of producers, marketers and retailers, and looks at consumer trends and behaviors surrounding organics and natural products. Priced at $3,000, this is available from Packaged Facts by clicking: http://www.packagedfacts.com/pub/1187212.html. It is also available at MarketResearch.com.

About Packaged Facts
Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, publishes market intelligence on a wide range of consumer industries, including consumer goods and retailing, foods and beverages, and demographics. For more information visit www.PackagedFacts.com, or contact Tom Ehart at 240-747-3014, or tehart@marketresearch.com.