There are so many new health food stores in America and Canada today; that it seems like “organic” is trying to take over the fresh food supermarket industry. In fact, the rise of natural and organic foods means more startup business opportunities for liked minded people who view “green” environmental efforts as not only good for the community; but for business as well. There is also a widely held point of view in 2016 that natural foods offer more opportunities for profits and successful product branding. This list here shows an impressive number of organic health food stores in Calgary alone.
Another aspect of natural food startup business is linked to lots of hard data that points to a boost in sales when customers have a choice between organic and GMO foods. While genetically modified organisms (GMOs) help create attractive looking food products, there is a view with consumers that organic foods are safer and superior to GMO foods. Thus, the natural food startup owner must decide if their business should include GMO or not?
Organically grown vs GMO
There are natural food startups that shun GMOs because genetically modified foods do not fit their business model. Still, the profits from selling GMO foods cannot be ignored. The natural food website or shop owner must decide the pros and cons of selling GMO, as compared to offering a strict natural and organic food selling policy that bans all sale or use of anything connected to GMO.
At the same time, the American Medical Association (AMA) and other federal government health watch-dog groups have yet to formally condemn GMO as bad or even negative when it comes to human health. The result is confusion on the part of the consumer. Meanwhile, the online business owners who have started up a natural food service website say that any “association with GMO” would hurt their business. Since the customer is always right, the business view must be to “serve” or offer foods that the customer wants regardless of what is proven or not proven about GMO food products.
Health is linked to foods
The nut of any natural food business today is “organic,” while the term organic has many forms when it comes to foods carrying this title. There are many natural startups, for example, that market and brand their products as “organic farmed foods.” Still, there are other that sells a wide variety of foods that are organic, natural and GMO. In turn, a longtime natural food website owner claims that “cost” and “product pricing” drives more of his business than concerns from customers if products are linked to GMO. The owner also commented online about promoting products that avoid “all the new food allergies” found in non-organic food products that contain chemicals and lots of preservatives.
Serving-up food the public wants
Overall, there is a widespread point of view that true health is linked to eating more foods that are considered organic and free of GMOs. At the same time, there are many advantages of selling healthy and organic foods at a time when “organic is trending” nationally and even internationally.
Thus, there is a real business opportunity for anyone considering a natural food startup because today’s health-minded customer wants fresh, healthy and proven safe foods. The result is lots of profits to be made when the website or traditional health food shop offers “organic” at a fair price.