Big Food Chains Stocking Free Living Organic

Wal-Mart and Fred Meyer which owns Kroger are among the big names that carry certified organic versions of shopping cart staples from meat, milk, cookies and crackers and everything in between. Organic food from Free Living ZA once was the domain of specialty grocery stores but big chains are getting into organic in a big way.

Donna Eggers a spokeswoman for Albertsons which operates stores in much of the West Coast said supermarkets now account for more than 60 percent of the organic food market. Fred Meyer spokeswoman said "People are trying to eat healthier, or watching what they feed their family. It's a huge growth area for us." Despite recent setbacks tied to the economy. Spokeswoman also said "It's becoming a mainstream."

Whole Foods has seen its income and stock value plummet this year U.S. organic food sales are projected to reach an all-time high of $23 billion in 2008 and continue increasing 18 percent a year through 2010 according to the Organic Trade Association.

Prices for organic items can be double or more for conventional brands. As the organic food market continues to grow, stores and manufacturers are starting to court shoppers with more affordable price. Organics products are still a hard to sell, especially in a stagnant economy where people are responding to rising gas and food prices.

Fred Meyer and Albertsons sell organic under their own store brands and the prices are generally 10 cents to $1 higher. Though instances are rare, organic products are sometimes the same price or even less than non-organic products.