The healthy foods market in the United States kept pace with overall food industry growth in 2009, but this is far from good news. Annual growth rates continue to slip for healthy foods, which has seen its star dull and tarnish in the protracted economic malaise. Data does suggest, however, that we may have hit the bottom, and growth rates should improve modestly in coming years. As growth takes meaningful hold, healthy foods should increase its share of the total foods market, reaching 23% penetration by 2017. The trends toward natural and organic food and beverages as safer and healthier consumer choices remain particularly strong.

• NBJ predicts that natural and organic foods will grow the fastest of any healthy foods categories in the next eight years—with growth of organic reaching nearly 10% in 2012—as product categories like organic fruits & vegetables and natural meat, fish & poultry sidle into the mainstream.
• Functional and lesser-evil foods will lose market share to the natural and organic categories in the future, NBJ projects, though functional should retain about a quarter of healthy food sales over the next eight years
• With a forecast compound growth rate of nearly 9%, organic foods is expected to be the biggest competitor in healthy foods for the future. Compound annual growth for the total healthy foods industry should hover above 5% for the next eight years, just outpacing the growth of its largest categories, functional and lesser-evil foods.

The total U.S. food market grew 1.6% in 2009, reaching $628 billion in sales, while healthy foods grew 1.8% to reach $143 billion in sales. Nutrition Business Journal includes four product categories in the healthy foods market—organic, natural, functional and lesser-evil foods. Market-standard and conventional foods make up an additional, catch-all category for the total foods results. This report contains detailed analysis of each healthy foods category, and the food and beverage product lines they include.

In this report you will find:

• Trends and competitive analysis of the four U.S. Healthy Food categories including: Functional Food, Natural Foods, Organic Foods, Lesser-Evil Foods
• Market quantification in over 300 tables and graphs, perspective on a decade of the healthy food movement, an updated forecast to 2017 and the most comprehensive reference document to date on healthy foods.
• Market breakdowns and growth forecasts by the four major healthy food types and 8 major food subcategories: Dairy, Breads & Grains, Beverages, Snack Foods, Packaged & Prepared Foods, Condiments, Fruits & Vegetables, and Meat, Fish & Poultry

Related NBJ Products:

2009 Healthy Kids' Market Report: Breaking the Entry Barrier
Nutrition Business Journal's 2008 Healthy Foods & Beverages Web Seminar
Healthy Foods: Functional, Natural & Organic, and Lesser Evil Foods Sales: 1997-2017e- Chart 21