Source: LOHAS Weekly Newsletter
Published: Wednesday, December 01, 1999

According to research by The Hartman Group, 71% of consumers buy vitamins, minerals and supplements, but only 40% can name the brand they intend to purchase.

The Swiss-based International Trade Centre has released a market study showing that organic foods sales could jump from 1% to up to 10% of total retail food sales in major markets over the next few years and that annual sales growth rates, varying by market, will range from 5% to 40% over the medium term. The study, “Organic Food and Beverages: World Supply and Major European Markets” is free of charge to producers, exporters and trade-related organizations. Contact Rudy Kortbech Olesen at ITC, +41.22.733.8695, kortbech@intracen.org.

The 1999 State of the Industry report released by The Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores (CACDS) notes an increasing demand for herbal and homeopathic medicines, a trend which the CACDS expects to see continue. According to the report, 64% of these treatments are purchased in drugstores, and consumers value pharmacists as counselors in the use of both herbal and prescription drugs.

Some 9.8% of U.S. households, or more than 10 million homes, purchased packaged organic foods last year, up 14% from 1997, according to the 1999 “Organic Report” from SPINS of San Francisco and ACNielsen. The typical organic consumer is a college-educated 45-year-old with a household income of $60,000 or more, the report says.