AR-News: (US Co) Natural Products Sales Top $42 Billion in 2003

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

Business Wire
June 28, 2004
 
BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 28,  2004--American shoppers spent more 
than $42.8 billion on natural and organic  products in 2003, according to 
research published in the 23rd Annual Market  Overview in the June issue of The 
Natural Foods Merchandiser. The Natural Foods  Merchandiser 
(_www.naturalfoodsmerchandiser.com_ (http://www.naturalfoodsmerchandiser.com/) )  is the leading 
trade magazine serving the natural and organic products industry  and is read 
by more than 15,000 retailers, industry leaders and trend watchers  each 
month. 

As mainstream attention focused in 2003 on the many connections between diet  
and health, natural products sales increased 8.1 percent across all sales  
channels, including supermarkets, mass marketers, direct marketers and the  
Internet. Sales of organic products rose 19 percent in natural products stores  in 
2003.  
Consumers expanded their organic and naturals purchases beyond the kitchen in 
 2003. Some of the healthiest gains were in organic personal care, up 81 
percent,  and organic pet products, up 31 percent. Organic fresh meat and seafood 
posted  51 percent gains in sales. Nutrition bars, now a billion-dollar 
category in  naturals stores, rose 25 percent. Sales of specialty supplements, a 
category  that includes such strong sellers as glucosamine and essential fatty 
acids, rose  13 percent in naturals stores last year.  
In 2003, consumers were deluged by news reports that questioned the safety of 
 their food or the wisdom of conventional American eating habits. "When 
stories  hit about mad cow disease or trans fats, people look to natural and 
organic  products for alternatives," said the publication's editor, Marty Traynor  
Spencer. "We saw gains in every channel of trade, from small independent 
vitamin  and health food stores to the largest supermarket chains." Natural products 
 sales rose 7.8 percent to more than $13.7 billion at supermarkets, 
discounters,  drugstores and other mass market retailers.  
full  story:
_http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view
&newsId=20040628005042&newsLang=en_ 
(http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040628005042&newsLang=en)  


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If we cut up beasts simply because they cannot  prevent us and because we are 
backing our own side in the struggle for  existence, it is only logical to 
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