Marketing U S Organic Foods

Organic foods occupy prominent shelf space in the produce and dairy aisles of most U.S. food retailers. Retail sales of organic foods increased to $21.1 billion in 2008 from $3.6 billion in 1997. This increase has been spearheaded by: an expanding number of retailers are selling a wider variety of foods, the development of private-label product lines by many supermarkets, and the widespread intro. of new products. Organic handlers, who purchase products from farmers and often supply them to retailers, sell more organic products to conventional retailers and club stores than ever before. But, organic farms have struggled at times to produce sufficient supply to keep up with the growth in demand, leading to periodic shortages of organic products. Illus.