EAST BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- As consumers become more sensitive to the environment and the effect they have on it, supermarkets are implementing special programs and sections that reflect a growing concern over the food supply. These days, retailers are taking a look around to determine what matters to their customers.
But how best to demonstrate this awareness? For some, whose reputations are built on selling natural or organic foods, the process has been relatively simple. For others, especially mainstream retailers, any merchandising strategy must walk a fine line: it has to promote the product without seeming overly self-serving.
The public's growing consciousness of the environment has generated new customers for retailers like Wild Oats Markets, Boulder, Colo., where a commitment to organic foods has existed since the chain was founded.
"It's in our heart and in our vision," said Dale Kamibayashi, manager of special grocery projects. "It's based upon what our industry stands for. We feel good [in] marketing why consumers should come to our store.
"Organics, in a sense, provide the consumer with a little bit of an umbrella of food safety. It gives them a little bit of security in that they know they're buying something organic," he said.
Kamibayashi said that selling organics to consumers is only one side of the retailer's mission. The other side -- supporting organic farmers and manufacturers -- is also important.
"We just need more people to buy organics so we can increase the profits and yields for the farmer," he explained. "Hopefully, they make a little more money because people are willing to pay a littler more for organic."
One way in which Wild Oats educates the consumer about the benefits of the organic products it merchandises is through signage.
"We try to make the signage and the displays very distinct so the consumer knows exactly what they're [seeing]," he said. "We want the consumer to know immediately when they walk in our stores."
In addition to banners touting the availability of organics, there are brochures near individual displays that provide a product description. The brochures outline "all those standards that we maintain or we're going to lose integrity with the program," he said. For example, in the produce department, the brochure includes a statement verifying Wild Oats' commitment to offering produce obtained from organic farms, the details surrounding the process of organic farming, and the importance of third-party certification.
Third-party certification is an important tool in assuring customers that the fruits and vegetables they are buying are, indeed, truly organic. The practice also helps the retailer source from the proper grower/shippers.
"We try to make sure the consumer realizes that there are smokescreens in the natural and organic field," he said. "If you truly want to understand and ensure yourself when buying organic, always look for third-party certification. A local grower can claim he's growing his products organically, but he hasn't been certified or inspected by an organization."
Kamibayashi added that, without a legitimate certification agent, the grower cannot guarantee that he's using non-contaminated soil, is pesticide-free or that he has been practicing acceptable methods for at least three years. To remind customers that its produce has been certified, Wild Oats uses stickers with the certifying agent's name written directly on them.
Most organic packaged items at Wild Oats will have identification certifying them as organic. This might include "very prominent signs," or the use of shipping cases as merchandisers, where the certification is printed right on the cardboard.
Reinforcing its commitment to organics, the retailer uses its monthly national flier to emphasize points about the environment and organic foods. "We try to bring some marketing information to the public regarding why we selected a particular organic grower," he said.
And, twice a year, the retailer repeats its philosophy about organics and reintroduces its mission statement in its flier. The first special circular is distributed in April in conjunction with Earth Day; and the second is sent out either in September or October, in unison with the harvest season.
Wild Oats uses the semi-yearly fliers as opportunities to place large numbers of organic products on sale, as well as updates on any lobbying in which it took part in Washington, regarding the passing of organic standards laws.
Shaw's Supermarkets, East Bridgewater, Mass., is demonstrating a commitment through its seafood department. In May, the chain enrolled in a program that encourages the purchase of sustainable species of seafood from certified fisheries. The program was engineered by the London-based Marine Stewardship Council.
"We recognize that there are international standards [for] endangered species that are out there," said Bernie Rogan, director of corporate communication for Shaw's. "We want people to be aware of that and, at the same time, encourage [fisheries] to capture some of the products that had not been considered marketable. By raising the level and willingness to market some of these new species, we feel we can help."
The MSC's Fisheries Certification Plan was chosen in part because of the retailer's seafood-oriented customer base, noted Rogan.
"Here in New England we're as close to [the seafood industry] as anybody," he said. "It's a part of our culture. It even impacts the tourism industry up here. It is something that is worth defending and worth educating the consumer about. Those people who are on those boats and their families shop in our stores."
The program, still in early stages, promotes products that are marked with a special on-pack logo designating them as sustainable species. The point-of-sale symbol alerts customers to the fact that the fish being sold in Shaw's seafood departments were obtained from fisheries that adhere to the specifications prescribed by the MSC.
According to Rogan, the logo will serve to showcase the seafood at the point of purchase. "Once the logo starts appearing on the product, it will set the product apart in the case," he said.
Casting a wide net to attract attention to the program, Shaw's will use the power of its fliers to explain it directly to customers. "[They] go out to millions of people every week and it's really our principle communicator," he said.
Shaw's is hoping other area retailers will follow its lead, by adapting a similar certified seafood program.
"It's a leadership position that we're taking," he said. "We felt it's so special to us, having been around New England as long as we have."
Even on land there are opportunities for retailers. At Andronico's Markets, based in Albany, Calif., natural beef is a popular item in the meat department due to concerns expressed by consumers.
"Customers are looking for something all-natural -- no antibiotics, no hormones, no preservatives," said Glen Broadway, meat manager for the eight-unit retailer's San Francisco store (a ninth store will open in mid-August). He added that customer interest extends all the way back to the farm, where the cows are raised and fed. "They ask about it all the time in California. They're really health-conscious around here."
He said that the natural products Andronico's carries include lamb, chicken and beef. The natural items are always separated from the others in their own case, Broadway said.
"You should keep it away from the rest of the meat," he said. "You don't intermix it."
The natural meat is differentiated by the use of different color trays. In this case, the natural line is merchandised on black trays, so "they have a completely different look than anything else."
To further set the meat apart, informational stickers are used that reiterate the absence of antibiotics and growth-promoting hormones. "It's on every single sticker, on every package," he said. Another sticker provides information on sodium, cholesterol and fat content.