Increasing trend to woo organic food shoppers

Organic food for the masses has arrived, and at a time when America as a nation has never been fatter or eaten so badly. Seventeen per cent of children and teenagers are overweight, and 66 per cent of adults, of whom 32 per cent are obese. Seventy-eight per cent of adults admit they do not eat enough fruit or vegetables.

The Wal-Mart move is among several signs that Americans are beginning to think more seriously about what they eat. In a grocery market, stagnant for many years, the organic and fair trade sector — though small — is expanding by 20 per cent every year, says Joseph Mendelson of the Centre for Food Safety in Washington. Demand for organic milk regularly outstrips supply, and each year more farm acreage is used for organics.

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