From "Behind The Label: A Guide For Retailers," A Supplement to Natural Foods Merchandiser

Do The Numbers

Children who eat conventional fruits and vegetables have pesticide residue levels nine times higher on average than those who eat organic foods.

Source: University of Washington

Between 1985 and 2001, households in which the principal shopper is male almost doubled from 13 percent to 24 percent.

Mediamark Research's Survey of the American Consumer

More than 40 million households—39 percent of the population—use organic products, accounting for $6.9 billion in U.S. organic food and beverage sales in 2002. Thirty-seven percent of organic users consumes organics more than once per day.

Source: The Natural Marketing Institute/SPINS

The Vegetarian Resource Group estimates that as many as 5.7 million American adults are vegetarian and about 2.4 million are vegan. The western United States has the highest percentage of vegetarians at 4 percent.

Source: Harris Interactive poll for Vegetarian Resource Group

According to a study by the Food Marketing Institute and Prevention magazine, 65 percent of American shoppers say that scientists don't know enough yet to control the effects of genetic engineering, and 60 percent would like to know if the foods they eat have genetically modified components. Younger shoppers tend to be more positively inclined toward genetically modified foods, with 45 percent of Generation Y and X shoppers finding these products acceptable, compared with 37 percent of baby boomers and 29 percent of mature consumers.