Supermarket Perimeter - March 2019 - 58

ORGANICS

by Andy Nelson

SALES OF ORGANIC FOODS
in the grocery fresh perimeter
continue to climb, and more and
more suppliers are getting on the
bandwagon.
U.S. organic sales topped $21
billion in sales in a 52-week
period ending late last year, up
nearly 9% from the previous
52-week period, according to
Nielsen Homescan household
projected data.
Some groups are increasing
their organic consumption more
than others. Millennials spent 14%
more on organic products compared to the previous 52-week
period and Hispanic consumers
13% more, according to Nielsen.
The days of organics being
considered a niche market are
long over. Organics are fully in
the mainstream now. Some of
the biggest category increases
tracked by Nielsen included
bread, up 19% to $466 million;
and fresh chicken, up 11% to
$499 million.
Nielsen also reported recently
that 86% of millennials said they
would pay more for products
with organic/natural ingredients.
(The number for baby boomers -
59% - while significantly lower,
is still considerable.)

Retail renaissance...
Suppliers of grocery fresh perimeter foods are noticing an uptick
in organic across the board. But
some retailers have been particularly aggressive in pursuing
the market.
In 2018, Boise, Idaho-based
Albertsons rolled out its virtual O
Organics Market store concept in
San Francisco and Washington.
58 - MARCH 2019

Powered by Instacart, O Organics
provides customers a selection of
more than 3,800 organic, natural
and "better for you" foods and
beverages that can be delivered
in as little as two hours.
Open Nature Sockeye Salmon,
O Organics Mission Figs and
Dave's Killer Bread were some of
the products Albertsons highlighted during the concept's
unveiling.
In addition to being available
online in select cities, Albertsons'
O Organics and Open Nature
brands are available in the
company's Safeway, Albertsons,
Vons, Jewel-Osco, Acme, Shaw's,
United Supermarkets and other
brick and mortar stores.
O Organics are known for their
value and Open Nature products
for being minimally processed.
German-based discount
grocery retailer Aldi, meanwhile,
listed organic as one of the three
focuses of its latest product upgrade. (Fresh and easy-to-prepare
are the others.) Under the upgrade, 20% of all products sold in
Aldi stores will be new compared
to last year at the same time.
Organic meats, salad bowls,
sliced fruits and gourmet cheeses
are among the new products Aldi
consumers are already starting to
see on store shelves.
Lakewood, Colorado-based
chain Natural Grocers, meanwhile, has launched a new line of
premium private label products,
many of them organic.
Organic grass-fed cheese and
beef products are among the
perimeter items in the line with
expected 2019 rollouts.
The growth in its organic sales

is a major driver behind Phoenixbased organic and natural
foods specialist Sprouts Farmers
Market's decision to make a huge
investment in new stores this
year. Sprouts, which currently
operates more than 300 stores
in 19 states, plans to open about
30 stores in 2019 in California,
Florida, Washington, Texas and
Las Vegas.

...and suppliers to
meet the demand
Hand-in-hand with the increased retail commitment to
selling more organics in the fresh
perimeter is an upsurge in new
organic products from perimeter
suppliers.
Hummus specialist Blue
Moose of Boulder, for instance,
has introduced two new snack
products.

Boulder, Colorado-based
Blue Moose is now shipping
both its Organic on the Go
Hummus Snack Pack and Organic
Moose Minis 100 Calorie Single
Serve Cups.
"With the shift in trends
towards snacking, we're filling a
void in the marketplace to ensure
our customers don't have to sacrifice convenience for quality or
taste," says Tenley Satre, president
of Blue Moose. "We're thrilled to
be able to deliver nutrient dense
organic snacks that you can truly
feel good about."

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Organic On The Go Hummus
Snack Packs pair the highest
quality, best tasting, hummus
you can buy with organic carrot
sticks, not pretzels or chips. The
nutrient packed dehydrated
carrot sticks are made by Rhythm
Superfoods. With 150 calories,
5g protein and 0g added sugar
per container, this snack delivers
real nutrition. Available in three
flavors: Original, Roasted Red
Pepper and Lemon Turmeric.
Organic Moose Minis 100
Calorie Single Serve Cups are
convenient grab-and-go containers of creamy hummus that
you can pair with your own
dipper. Available in three flavors:
Original, Roasted Red Pepper and
Lemon Turmeric.
As with all products in Blue
Moose's hummus portfolio, the
new snacks are USDA Organic
Certified, Non-GMO Project
Verified, Certified Gluten-Free,
vegan and contain no preservatives. They uniquely use cold
pressure, also known as HPP,
to keep their snacks fresh and
to maintain key vitamins and
minerals.
In the salsa category, meanwhile, Fresh Cravings, a division
of Phoenix-based FoodStory
Brands, has launched its Fresh
Cravings Organic Salsa in all
Lakeland, Florida-based Publix
Super Markets stores.
Sold chilled in the produce
section, the salsas are available
in Restaurant Style, Medium and
Hot, as well as mild and medium
heat varieties in chunky.
The salsa is also available
as a grab-and-go option with
the company's organic restaurant-style tortilla chips.
Berlin-based meal kit company
HelloFresh recently expanded its
offerings to draw more consumers, and one of its main commitments is to offering more organic
items. To that end, HelloFresh in

BLUE MOOSE OF BOULDER

OPERATIONS

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Supermarket Perimeter - March 2019

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