Truly a visionary state government at work. 

They have no idea how much money is saved and meanwhile organic food, whether its your cup of 
tea or not, is experiencing a sales growth rate that many sectors of the economy would be 
envious of having.   (see story below) 

My own anecdotal observations in my region is that right now in the midst of a deep reccession, 
sales at local natural food stores & coops (not Whole Foods) have hardly skipped a beat in the last 
6 months.

 Most store buyers I work with say store sales are at or above sales a year ago.  The prevailing 
theory is people are eating out less and then splurging at a store for a nice meal and still saving 
money. The continual onslaught of food poisoning stories in the mainstream big box store 
pipeline also are pushing people to think local also. 


http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/51387
Jan 29th 2009
LONDON/CHICAGO - As recession drives consumers to cut costs, their commitment to organic 
food has been tested with sales growth slowing -- but so far, sales are not falling. How green are 
our wallets?

Grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, organic food has been booming, 
driven by claims it is healthier, tastes better and its production does less damage to the 
environment than conventional agriculture.

The global market for organic food and beverages was worth $22.75 billion in 2007, after more 
than doubling in five years, according to market research firm Euromonitor International. The 
United States accounted for about 45 percent of that total.

With economies in crisis, the trend is slowing in the United States, Britain, France and Europe's 
most important market for organic food, Germany. So far, Britain is the market tipped for a fall as 
shrinking incomes force the newly green to save money.

Typical growth rates of 20 to 30 percent for organic food sales in the United States eased in the 
second half of 2008 as middle- and upper-income families felt the strain of layoffs and declining 
investment portfolios, said Tom Pirovano, director of industry insights at market research firm The 
Nielsen Co.

Sales in December were up 5.6 percent, year on year, against a 25.6 percent rise a year earlier.

Even though growth is slowing, Pirovano noted that most people who purchased organic foods 
were very committed.

"I'm not convinced that we are going to see big declines in organics any time soon," he said.

Nielsen data measures packaged foods with bar codes at many retail outlets. Discount retailer 
Wal-Mart does not participate in the market research.

Late on a Friday in London's South Kensington, shoppers at the Whole Foods store owned by the 
U.S.-based organic and natural foods supermarket were sparse.

"I always try to buy organic if I can. But I definitely have cut back," said Mary Boynton, 20, adding 
that she buys more organic produce from supermarkets which have a cheaper offer.

Shares in Whole Foods Market Inc. have been on a broadly weakening trend since 2006 and trades 
around $11, down from nearly $80 in late 2005.

But Michael Besancon of Whole Foods, which claims the world-leading slot in the sector with more 
than 270 stores in North America and Britain, says there is a hard core.

"It is not a fad," said Besancon, the company's senior global vice-president of purchasing, 
distribution and marketing. "I'm 62 and my mother is still waiting for me to shave my beard and 
stop eating organic food. That isn't going to happen."

Ronnie Cummins, national director of the Organic Consumers Association, said occasional buyers 
of organic produce were cutting back, but regular buyers were lightening up on processed food in 
favor of organic whole fruits, vegetables and meats.

"They are trying to stretch their money but they are not willing to stop buying organic," he said. 
"We think in the long run the prognosis is good. The energy crisis and climate change can only 
really be addressed with organic production."

Wholefoods' Besancon argued consumers were treating organic purchases differently from those 
of other premium products.

"When you buy organic you believe it is inherently better for you and the planet," he said. "Who 
can afford to get sick? So people are becoming more introspective about what they eat. There is 
growth in the category. It is just less than it was."

*******************************************************
* Search the BEE-L archives at:                       *
* http://listserv.albany.edu:8080/cgi-bin/wa?S1=bee-l *
*******************************************************