Industry Information
What are natural products?
Natural products are represented by a wide array of consumer goods that continue to grow in popularity each year. These products include natural and organic foods, dietary supplements, pet foods, health and beauty products, "green" cleaning supplies and more. Generally, natural products are considered those formulated without artificial ingredients and that are minimally processed.
How are natural products regulated?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture sets standards for use of the term "natural" for meat and poultry. The agency also regulates use of the term "organic" under the Organic Foods Production Act. While the FDA does not have a formal definition for the term natural, the agency has not objected to its use on food labels provided they are truthful and not misleading.
Natural Facts:
In 2007, according to the Nutrition Business Journal, sales of natural products grew over 10 percent to $93.9 billion. This represents a nearly 50 percent growth spurt over a five year period. Below are additional statistics from 2007 regarding natural products:
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Personal Care and Household items saw the highest gains, totally $9.2 billion, a 23 percent increase from 2006
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Natural food sales in were up 13 percent in 2007, while functional foods made up over one-third of the entire natural products market share, at $34.3 billion
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Supplement sales in natural product stores were up 5.9 percent to almost $23.7 billion
- Natural products consumers are often motivated not only by their own health, but making buying choices that lead to sustainability of the environment
What you should know about...
