European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 24, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                From the fringes to the mainstream More and More natural foods finding their Way to the family table 4 by Trish halt the new York time Sopfe who eat strange foods like Blue Green algae and spelt bread May seem like eccentrics who have nothing to do 1 with Ordinary americans who toss burgers on the Grill at night but Avant Garde eaters often serve As a testing ground for innovative foods and what they like to eat now May be the trendy new food on the Kitchen tables of mainstream eaters tomorrow. After All foods that now Appeal to millions of people like Yogurt Granola bars and Rice cakes were once favored by fringe eaters and available Only in natural foods stores. It is hard to say which unusual products will be the next foods to find their Way into Ordinary supermarkets. But suppliers and retailers say certain foods Are Selling so Well that they May eventually have wide enough Appeal to interest the big food companies. The impulse driving sales in natural foods stores is an enduring one the desire for health and Long life. But unlike 20 years ago there now Are vast numbers of people of diverse economic Means who Are simultaneously discovering that mortality is not an abstract concept. Quot there s a wave of baby Boomers hitting the big four of and their bodies Are talking Back Quot said John Goodman the vice president for safes and marketing for Arrowhead Mills in Hereford Texas which Sells organic grains cereals breads flours and baking mixes. They Are looking for foods that might help them live better and longer he said and the Are looking outside the mainstream. To that end sales Are booming in foods that Are fat free or free of ingredients like milk and wheat that cause allergic reactions in marry people. Organic ingredients Are sought after too because Many people consider them to be tastier he Althier and More ecological. Selling very we too Are chinese herbal and homeopaths remedies sad prank j. Lampe  of natural foods merchandiser a Trade journal  by vew Hope communications in Boulder Colo. But customers in Datura foods stores Are also affected by the same forces that shape supermarket shoppers. Busy and not always willing to Cook they Are seeking convenience but with a twist. They Are snapping up prepared products both convenience stores now Stock juices made from Star fruit Frozen and on the shelf made of organic and natural ingredients even if they Are slightly More expensive than their mainstream counterparts. Manufacturers of natural foods previously unsophisticated in the Art of marketing Are now much More attuned to convenience and packaging. They Are starting to think like big companies Quot said Kathy Ordan the director of marketing for the fresh Fields natural foods stores in the Washington d.c., area. Even cooking accessories Are being made in natural but convenient forms. Fresh Fields for instance is Selling charcoal made from Wood in an instant easy to Light form with none of the chemicals found in the usual instant Light charcoal. Despite a concern with health Many people Are not willing to give up snacks. Quot chips and Popcorn and permutations thereof have gone bonkers Quot said Chris Kilham a consultant to natural foods companies. Quot it s like walking Down the snack aisle of a regular supermarket but All the ingredients Are  aside from organic Blue Corn Tortilla chips and organic air popped Popcorn there Are Yogurt and Green onion potato chips made from unpeeled potatoes and cheese puffs made from natural Blue cheese and Cheddar. Also flourishing Are Popcorn cakes a new product similar to Rice cakes. Cookies Are also doing Well especially those by health Valley an Irwindale calif., company that makes a variety of natural foods. It has 19 varieties of cookies described As fat free including flavors like Raisin Oatmeal and Apple Cinamon. Although they Are labelled As fat free that is accurate Only for each serving not for an entire package. One serving or three cookies contains less than 1 Gram of fat also booming a e soy products like burgers hot dogs Chili Sloppy Joes and cold cuts. These products also Appeal to a growing number of people interested in vegetarian dishes especially those who want to Send their children to school with lunches that do not contain meat but also do not Saddle them with the Label of Peculiar food. Quot kids Are ostracized if they pull out something that is obviously Tofu Quot said Cate Conniff spokeswoman for a Chain of natural food stores in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In new natural foods stores the allocation of space makes it Clear which areas Are growing there is much More space for Frozen foods where shoppers can now find healthy versions of typical american foods. Quot prepared dinners do very Well Quot said Spencer Brown who manages integral yoga a natural foods store in Manhattan that once carried almost no convenience foods. Selling especially former fringe food such As Yogurt Rice cakes guava juice whole Grain cereals have become increasingly popular. Well Many retailers said Are organic poppies and lasagna made by amys Indian dinners made by Taj pizzas without cheese such As original Rice crust pizza and Pinsoy and Veggie pockets enchilada like sandwiches with no Dairy or wheat products. Also popular Are convenient foods sold on shelves like cereals organic canned tomatoes and juice blends especially those with rain Forest ingredients a juices from fruits that Are grown in Central and South american rain forests like Guanabara guava and Star fruit. Retailers Are also expanding bulk bin space for customers More concerned about Price. Quot economics has something to do with it Quot said Mary Harvat the director of purchasing for Texas health distributors which Sells primarily to the whole foods markets Chain. Bulk sales provide savings by eliminating packaging and advertising. But what about that Blue Green algae some products in natural foods stores Are still considered a fringe items even if they Are Selling better than a few years ago. One such category Green food includes algae that supposedly provide Energy and strengthen immune systems. Quot five years ago i Only carried one Green food Quot said Richard Antonelli the sales manager for Cornucopia inc., a wholesaler in Dayville Conn. Now he Sells tens of thousands of dollars Worth of Green foods his newest offering is Klamath Blue Creen algae harvested by Klamath Blue Creen in mount Shasta calif., from a Lake in Southern Oregon. But algae is still a very specialized food. Environmentalists need not worry yet that avid algae eaters will upset the ecological balance. S4s Jim Dot Elm file Blue Corn products Are among recent entries to the snack Field that have found a Market among natural food advocates. Putting the bite on the quest to avoid foods that May cause allergic reactions is one of the largest factors driving the Rise in the Sale of natural foods. Quot More and More people who Haven t Felt Good in a longtime Are finding that their doctors Are telling them to give up wheat or milk Quot said Cate Conniff the food information manager for the six bread and circus natural foods stores in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Shoppers can find pizza made with soy instead of Mozzarella ice Cream made with Rice instead of Cream and bread and cereals made with grains other than wheat. Two of the most rapidly growing alternatives to wheat Are spelt Ana tritium polonium popularly known As Gamut. Both Are ancient grains in the wheat family with a slightly different chemical Structure that makes them easier to digest for wheat sensitive people. Arrowhead Mills of Hereford Texas introduced Gamut Cereal six months ago and expects annual sales this year to be More than 360.000 boxes a lot for a new organic Cereal. Rudis a bakery in Boulder Colo., came out with a spelt bread last october and it is now the company s leading National line. The company which has increased production from 1,000 loaves of spelt bread a month to 10.000 loaves recently started making bagels and hot dog and hamburger buns with spelt. There has also been a profusion of wheat free pastas and Grain mixes with choices now available in Rice and spelt As Well As other ancient grains like Quinoa and Amaranth. To some extent they Appeal to those who simply seek variety. Although the allergy connection has fuelled the surge in non Dairy alternative products there is also a broader health goal the reduction of fat and cholesterol. In most cases the ingredient that substitutes for Dairy products is soy. Quot soy milk sales were up 40 percent last year Quot said Richard Youngman the president of Stow Mills a \ distributor in Chesterfield n.h., that Sells to More than 2.000 stores in the East. But some of the biggest Selling non Dairy alternatives Are made with Rice like Rice dream Frozen desserts and beverages. A trash Hall soybeans Are Good As meat or Dairy substitute. The stars and sturts saturday july 24,199 the stars and stripes 19