It is no secret that consumers are increasingly seeking organic, natural and/or minimally processed foods. Whether it’s to lose weight, fight disease and/or promote good health, today’s consumers are willing to pay a premium for health benefits. The result is that healthy categories of food, like vegetables, fruits and organic bananas are growing much faster than the processed food category.

This rise in the “pure food” movement seems to have reached maturity, and indications are that the challenge for retailers lies in not how to make these food items more attractive, but how to deliver fresh, local and natural/organic foods to consumers. Trends indicate that retailers should particularly pay attention to one type of consumer that is leading this movement. According to an article titled “What women want- (New survey reveals maturity of the ‘pure foods’ trend- and its chaotic impact at retail)” featured in the May 2016 issue of Supermarketnews.com, 75% of women feel “minimally processed” foods are very or extremely important. Woman are also expected to spend 40% more on produce this year. Of those surveyed, more than 60% of women said they felt “locally grown” and “natural/organic” were extremely important factors in food purchasing decisions. Added to these numbers, survey respondents said they would spend more than 26% of their food budget on fresh fruits and vegetables.