Natural Newsdesk

Just landing. This week's news briefing fro, Natural Newsdesk . Featuring stories on Soil Association, HEALTHSTORESUK, Cheryl Thallon, Viridian Nutrition, Whole Foods Market, Organic Denmark, Rasmus Prehn, Organic Trade Association UCL, Marks and Spencer, Merit Mushrooms Mudwalls Food Group Crate to Plate Neal's Yard Dairy XOXO SODA Joe & Seph's Old Spike Roastery Ice Cream Union Mondo Brewing Company Maison Mirabeau l B Corp™ GENJI SUSHI LIMITED The Celtic Bakers Limited Ayéya and more. 👇 https://lnkd.in/esAx83Bs

Whole Foods Market will open a new London store later this month (25 March), the Amazon-owned natural food retailer has announced. The 22,000 square foot unit is located in the prestigious One Twenty King’s Road development in Chelsea. It is Whole Foods’ first new UK opening since 2014. “Whole Foods Market has roots deeply planted in the UK, and we are thrilled to be bringing more natural and organic food to this market with the opening of our new King’s Road store this March,” said vice president of Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores and Whole Foods Market CEO Jason Buechel. “Continuing our expansion outside of the US enables us to extend our reach to more customers while advancing our higher purpose to nourish people and the planet.” “We know customers in the U.K. are seeking high quality natural and organic products. As we plan for the future, we are actively looking at this market and opportunities to bring Whole Foods Market to more customers there,” said Christina Minardi, executive vice president growth & development, Whole Foods Market & Amazon. To read the full story, follow the link below. Merit Mushrooms Mudwalls Food Group Crate to Plate Neal's Yard Dairy XOXO SODA Joe & Seph's Old Spike Roastery Ice Cream Union Mondo Brewing Company Maison Mirabeau l B Corp™ GENJI SUSHI LIMITED The Celtic Bakers Limited  Ayéya https://lnkd.in/grrj74dm

Indie retailers saw their organic sales grow by 9%, taking total organic sales in the independent retail channel to just over £518 million. The figures are contained in the 2025 edition of the Soil Association Organic Market Report, published this week. The survey reveals that over 70% of independent retailers saw organic sales growth in 2024, compared to just 50% in 2023. And only 15% experienced a sales decline, compared to 50% in 2023. The most common growth driver was retailers’ belief that organic aligns with consumer concerns. Plus, as cost-of-living pressures eased, shoppers got more proactive about looking after their health. In fact, health is one of the top three reasons customers shop the organic category. That translates into more sales for indie health stores around trending, functional products like chia seeds, kombucha and tumeric. Follow the link below to read the full story. https://lnkd.in/ekb2yATT

The UK organic market grew by 7.3% in 2024 to be worth £3.7 billion, according to new data collected in the 2025 Soil Association Organic Market Report, which is published today. “Exceptional growth” in both value and volume delivered in 2025 means that total organic sales – at £.7 billion – are now double what they were 10 years ago (2014 – £1.86bn). Sales increased across every key channel, with the major multiples (+8%), independent retailers (+9%), and hospitality (+6.5%) enjoying a particularly strong year. Encouragingly, 90% of indie food retailers (who account for 14% of all organic sales), anticipate further growth in 2025. Beauty and wellbeing and organic textiles also delivered standout performances, each growing by 11%. Report highlights: • UK organic market increased 7.3% in 2024 topping £3.7 billion following 13 years of consecutive growth • Organic sales through multiple food and drink retailers are worth £2.43 billion up 8% • Unit sales grew four-times more than non-organic food and drink at 4.7% (v 1.2% for non-organic) • Gen Z helping to drive organic growth. Seven out of 10 shoppers seeking organic with younger, lower and middle-income households the most active shoppers • Sales increased across all key channels and product categories with independent retail, non-food and hospitality enjoying particularly strong years • But organic farming remains stuck on 3% of UK farmland – with the market heavily reliant on imports. Soil Association and 12 NGOs call for 10% of land to be farmed organically To read the full story, follow the link below. 👇 Lee Holdstock Georgia Phillips Sarah Compson https://lnkd.in/ee55bQrV

Denmark’s former food and agriculture minister, Rasmus Prehn, is stepping down from Parliament to take up a new position in March as managing director of Organic Denmark, the country’s lead organic advocacy body. Announcing the decision, Prehn wrote on LinkedIn today: “Here’s something I’ve been looking forward to sharing with you: I will start as managing director at Organic Denmark in March. I’m very happy, very proud and can’t wait to get started! “Being the managing director of one of the world’s strongest organic associations is not only a dream job, but also a bit of a life mission for me. “To work for ecology is to work for sustainability, animal welfare, the environment, biodiversity, climate and health at the same time. “We only have one planet and one life, and ecology (organic) is for me the natural key to a wise and sustainable transition of the earth and an important step towards a much healthier life." Commenting on the development, the prominent Danish organic commentator, Paul Holmbeck, said: ”With his deep political experience and network, his focus on market development and his strategic and collaborative approach, I am certain that Rasmus will bring Organic Denmark and organics on the offensive again in Denmark...He is a listener. An active, empathic and respectful leader that I think will tune in to the organic movement and opportunities, and motivate both the members, staff and allies that can lead transformative change together.” To read the full story, follow the link below. 👇 Eric Gall Eduardo Cuoco Sarah Compson Lee Holdstock Oriol Urrutia Easyfairs Nordic Melina Viking https://lnkd.in/ewHSR_Np

Millennials and Gen Z buy the most organic and are the most committed organic consumers of any generation, a major US study has found. In its new 'Consumer Perception of USDA Organic and Competing Label Claims the Organic' report the Organic Trade Association partnered with Euromonitor International to survey over 2,500 consumers across the United Sates in October 2024. Survey participants were asked about their familiarity with organic and other food label claims, their priorities in making food choices, how often they bought organic, and how willing they were to pay a premium for the organic label. The results showed that not only do members of the Millennial and Gen Z generations buy the most organic, but that the USDA Organic label garners the deepest trust from consumers of all ages across leading ethical labels and is synonymous with health in the minds of most shoppers. Organic’s benefits to personal health outrank its benefits to environmental health in purchase decisions, especially with younger consumers, and the higher prices of organic products appear not to be an obstacle to those health-conscious individuals. While older demographics may worry about the affordability of organic, the younger consumer – at every income level – is more willing to pay a premium for organic, the survey finds. The Gen Z generation (those between the ages of 13 and 28) in particular is leading the way in prioritizing organic, with nearly 90 percent of consumers surveyed in that age group already either a committed or relatively new consumer of organic. As this generation matures, has families, and advances professionally, all signs point to the Gen Zer’s being the drivers of organic into the future, the OTA concludes. The survey looked at 11 different food and beverage claims and certifications to see how organic stacked up. The food and beverage claims included in the survey were organic, natural, local, raised without antibiotics, non-GMO, no added hormones, free range, pasture raised, humanely raised, fair trade and regenerative. Organic, local and natural were the claims consumers said they knew the best, with 90 percent of those surveyed familiar with organic. The regenerative claim, while increasingly part of the food industry lexicon, remains less familiar with most consumers. To read the full report, follow the link below. Tom Chapman Matthew Dillon https://lnkd.in/ewqWf2Xj

HEALTHSTORESUK has launched a national campaign which calls on aspiring ‘healthpreneurs’ – entrepreneurs with a passion for health and wellness – to consider opening their own health store to help address an epidemic of preventable disease. The association, which represents independent health food retailers across the UK, says the campaign is part of a wider mission to increase nationwide access to healthier food and nutrition choices "in an environment that is caring and supportive". “We want to see a thriving independent health store in every town in the UK to bring greater health and happiness to High Streets where there is little or no access to lifestyle advice and support,” says Health Stores UK committee member and health store owner, Cheryl Thallon. She continues: “A good independent health food store is the hub of the local community, sharing healthy lifestyle advice. The health store sector offers a great opportunity for those with a passion for all things healthy to create a successful business in their town. Opening a health store is an important service to your community, and is also an opportunity to own your own business in this growing sector.” The new ‘Let Us Help You Open Your Own Health Store’ campaign launched in early January with a series of reels fronted by Thallon and Health Stores UK’s head of business development, Dave Christie, which are running across social media. The campaign is carefully targeted at towns and regions that are currently underserved with health stores. Research carried out by the association has revealed that there are 450 towns across the UK with a 15,000+ population, currently without an independent health store. To help aspiring new health store owners kick-start their venture, Health Stores UK has published an information-packed 200+ page book called How to Open & Run a Successful Health Store. Authored by Thallon, the book draws on her 40 years’ experience in the health food trade but also incorporates insights and practical tips from 12 other successful health store business owners. Commenting on the campaign launch, Health Stores UK chair, Len Glenville said: “Health Stores UK is an established trade association representing the views, and meeting the needs, of our members. We have a wealth of knowledge and a team of experienced retailers waiting to advise potential new recruits who join the army of health store owners across the UK. These stores are helping to battle the growing health crisis, and meet the demands of the public who are increasingly turning to us for help.” To read the full story, follow the link below. 👇 #healthstore #healthstores #indie #independentretail #healthcrisis #NHScrisis #wellness Health Stores Ireland Health Food Manufacturers' Association (HFMA) Eat4Health - Patrick Holdford Zest4life Marilyn Glenville https://lnkd.in/eXn6FaEs

US organic food sales could reach £100 billion within a decade as the sector benefits from its position “at the nexus of strong consumer trends and human and planetary health priorities”, Tom Chapman co-CEO of the Organic Trade Association (OTA) told delegates at the BIOFACH Congress earlier this week. But the US organic leader admitted that there is currently uncertainty about political support for organic. “Unfortunately, we have not yet passed the Farm Bill, which is the tool that Congress uses to set agricultural policy within the US … and we are not sure yet, after the recent election, what support for organic will look like.” Presenting data from the latest OTA Organic Market Report, Chapman said that 2024 represented a “return to strong growth” after the recovery years following the pandemic. The organic market grew by 5.2% in 2024 to be worth $71.5 billion. He noted there are now 20 organic subcategories each with annual sales in excess of $1 billion. Significantly, organic sales grew at two times the rate of the conventional market, which grew by 2.5% over the same period. Chapman also noted that “when you look at compound growth over the decade we see a healthy 6.1% for organic”. He continued: “So in America we are up optimistic about how the market is looking, and at some very encouraging trends. One of those being being generational changes, with the younger generations prioritising organic. Organic is in an exciting place, sitting at this Nexus point between strong consumer trends, and personal health and planetary health. And we are forecasting that in less than a decade organic sales in the US will be over $100 billion.” In the Q&A session, Chapman was asked by a representative of the United Nations development organisation whether he “foresaw any problems arising from a lack of labour from the mass deportations promised by the Trump Administration?”. He said: “One of the reasons organic does not have a higher land mass in the US is because of the cost of production, and labour is one of them. It is an issue in the US for farming, both conventional and for organic – but we do use a higher percentage of labour in organic. We were concerned about the state of labour, the availability of labour, and cost of labour, prior to this dministration and this Administration’s policies. But it’s too soon – it’s been just three weeks – to tell what effect this is going to have on the American organic landscape”. Read the full story, follow the link below. 👇 https://lnkd.in/eTPPmjSQ

Sixways has announced that its range of functional mushroom blends will be available on Ocado Retail from this week. Ocado is currently listing four Sixways SKUs – Hormone Balance Mushroom Blend, Focus and Elevate, Lion’s Mane Supplement, Mango Flavour, Marine Collagen Powder, Pure Wild Marine Collagen, Raspberry and Unwind and Recover Sleep Drink Cacoa Flavour – at retail price points ranging from £22.40 to £29.40 (150g).  To read the full story, follow the link below. 👇 https://lnkd.in/eRnaunr3

Sustainability is proving to be more than just a buzzword on Britain’s high streets, as independent retailers discover that eco-friendly practices are driving both cost savings and increased profits. This emerging trend is explored in the latest episode of Bira’s ‘High Street Matters’ podcast, “Greening the High Street – Smart Solutions for Sustainable Retail”. In this latest episode, journalist Steve Dyson interviews Victoria Robertshaw, founder of Green Street, which helps local businesses become more sustainable, alongside Keith Hunt, owner of Our Precious Earth, a thriving zero-waste shop in Minehead, Somerset. Robertshaw said: "Small retailers often face a sustainability paralysis, unsure of the right actions to take. We're showing them that simple changes, like updating old refrigeration or switching to LED lighting, can save hundreds of pounds annually while benefiting the planet." The podcast episode reveals how sustainable practices are directly driving business growth, as demonstrated by the experience of Our Precious Earth. Keith Hunt said: "What I took from October to December was more than I took the whole previous year. People really want to switch to sustainable products, and we're providing that service." Green Street’s Robertshaw also emphasised the commercial benefits of sustainability, commenting: "You can do good and have profit - the two aren't mutually exclusive. What's right for your business is also good for the planet." To read the full story, from the link below. 👇 Bira - British Independent Retailers Association https://lnkd.in/eVnSVsF5