Inaugural Healthy Foods International Trade Show Reveals Findings on Healthy Food Trends

Business Wire, June 23, 2008

Study of consumers, retailers and manufacturers shows Americans consuming more healthy foods

NEW YORK -- Penton Media's first annual Healthy Foods International Exposition and Conference (www.healthyfoodsintl.com), held June 18-19 at the Dallas Convention Center, offered top food manufacturers and retailers a chance to preview the latest in healthy products. Representatives from Kraft Foods, PepsiCo, Cargill, Kroger, 7 Eleven and Safeway joined other decision makers, managers and marketers in the healthy products industry for the inaugural two-day event.

The conference also hosted the release of a national food trends survey showing that Americans' consumption of healthy foods is up. "The Current State of the Healthy Foods Market -- Consumer, Retailer and Manufacturer Perspectives Study," completed by Penton's Nutrition Business Journal[R] (www.nutritionbusinessjournal.com), indicates that more than 97 percent of Americans surveyed spend at least a portion of their grocery budgets on healthy food, and on average, consumers spent nearly 8 percent more on healthy foods in May 2008 than in November 2007.

The study includes other key findings:

* Whole grains are the top-ranking healthy-product attribute, according to consumers surveyed, with 57 percent citing this as very or extremely important.

* Consumers are increasingly buying healthy foods to manage a specific health condition, including 21. 4 percent choosing products to lower high cholesterol, 14.5 percent to manage digestive issues, 13 percent to control blood sugar levels, and 11.2 percent for general allergies.

* Retailers cite "Better-for-you Kids Products" as the category where they anticipate seeing the most growth in 2008, with 25.8 percent of retailer respondents selecting this option.

* Local foods are gaining a following with consumers; more than 66 percent of respondents say they would be likely to try a new store in their market area if the store could offer them a better selection of local products.

"Even with the troubled economy, this study demonstrates just how much consumer appeal health and wellness has," said Robert Vosburgh, group editor of Penton's Supermarket News[R], co-producer of the Healthy Foods International Exposition and Conference. "We also see that the desire for wellness products and services is far-reaching and diverse, with consumers seeking any number of options based on their budget, need state and interests."

"The Current State of the Healthy Foods Market -- Consumer, Retailer and Manufacturer Perspectives Study" includes data from more than 2,000 consumers nationwide, 197 retailers at U.S.-based grocery retailing outlets and 93 general and marketing managers at U.S.-based food, beverage and personal- care packaged goods manufacturing companies. Data was gathered between November 23, 2007, and March 31, 2008.

For a complete copy of the study, please contact Lisa Conover at lisa@freshideasgroup.com.

About HFI:

The Healthy Foods International Exposition and Conference (www.healthyfoodsintl.com) is the first major partnership between Supermarket News, the award-winning, nationally circulated weekly trade magazine for the food distribution industry, and New Hope Natural Media, which produces the two largest and longest-running natural and organic products trade shows. Both are owned by Penton Media Inc., the largest independent business-to-business media company in the U.S., serving more than 6 million business professionals every month.