Organic foods to be big trend in the future, say German researchers

• A growing number of consumers worldwide are turning to health foods, with trend researchers predicting a boom in the organic food industry.
• In the United States the so-called "Lohas" - Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability consumers - already make up about a third of the population, according to reports.
• European manufacturers of organic foods are also rapidly expanding, as demand for healthy foods grows.
• Sales at German organic supermarket chains grew last year by 10 percent to £3,4-billion (about R23,8-billion).
• The German Federation of Organic Foods (BNN), which groups wholesale suppliers in the sector, reported an increase in turnover by 9.6 percent to ¬477-million.
• BNN manager Elke Roeder sees several reasons for the boom.
• "Organic foods are 95 percent free of pesticides," she says.
• The genetically modified foods debate has also driven many customers to organic food shops.
• Despite this, organic-food supermarkets only make up three percent of the total retail food trade in the country.
• However, trend researcher Eike Wenzel says this could change rapidly as many people yearn to live a healthy life in harmony with nature.
• "The organic foods consumer of the future places great value on style and pleasure.
• The times when environmental sensitivity meant abstaining are over.
• The sector has become more professional and freed itself of ideology," Wenzel says.
• Most organic food consumers are in the age group 35 to 65 years, have a high education and high income, are health conscious and well informed.
• The spokesperson of an organic food chain, Basic AG, Sylvia Raabe, says it would be presumptuous to claim that everybody can afford organic foods.