One of the many things the current pandemic has taught us is the importance of taking care of ourselves. Diet and exercise are key ingredients to a healthy and productive life. While the size of this market segment may not be as large as others, there are still millions of Americans that want to fuel their body with organic foods. Sales in this category topped $55 billion in 2019, according to the Organic Trade Association, the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America.

Having already shopped the condiments, snacks, frozen foods, household cleansers, beverages and produce aisles, let’s continue our look at the supermarket brands you can own with organic foods – those that are grown or produced without the use of synthetic herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers, or genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (Tii:HAIN)

A leading organic and natural products company with operations in North America, Europe and India, Hain Celestial assumed its current form in May 2000, through the merger of the Hain Food Group with Celestial Seasonings, Inc. Its lineup includes Celestial Seasonings teas, the DREAM line of plant-based beverages, frozen desserts, yogurts and chocolate, Earth’s Best line of organic infant nutrition and natural baby care products, the Spectrum line of natural and organic culinary oils, vinegar, condiments, supplements, and more.

Amira Nature Foods Ltd (Tii:RYCFF)

A global provider of packaged Indian specialty rice with sales in over 40 countries, Amira Nature Foods is best known for processing and distributing basmati rice and related food products. Over the years, the company has expanded its product line to include snacks, ready-to-eat and organic food products.

General Mills Inc. (Tii:GIS)

General Mills has carved out a niche in the organic foods market by way of its $820 million purchase of Annie’s Homegrown in 2014. The acquisition, along with purchases of other organic brands, has given the consumer foods giant a suite of organic offerings that include macaroni and cheese, salad dressing, crackers, fruit snacks, snack mix, frozen pizza bites, breakfast cereal, pretzels, graham crackers, barbecue sauce, mustard, ketchup and more. Annie’s products have contributed approximately $100 million to General Mills’ $17.6 billion in net sales for its fiscal year ended May 31, 2020.

The Coca-Cola Company (Tii:KO)

Coca-Cola is another large company that invested in the organics segment when it acquired a 40% stake in Honest Tea in 2008 for $43 million, then acquired the rest of the company in 2011. Founded by a graduate of the Yale School of Management who formulated the idea while in business school, Honest Tea offers a line of organic juice drinks, lemonades as well as dozens of varieties of flavored teas. The subsidiary reported sales of more than $600 million in 2019.

The Kellogg Company (Tii:K)

Founded in California in 1984, Kashi was one of the earlier players among organic companies acquired by a major brand. The cereal maker was purchased by Kellogg Co. in 2000, but Kellogg's attempt to consolidate Kashi with its other cereal brands in 2013 by relocating Kashi's operations to its facilities in Battle Creek, Michigan, was met with a negative response. Reduced trust quickly led to a decline in sales, and Kellogg subsequently moved the company back to southern California the next year. Since then, Kashi has expanded its line to include breakfast bars and frozen waffles and has committed to helping farmers transition to organic farming.

The market for organic foods continues to boom over time as consumers become more concerned with what is in their food. With a few items remaining on our shopping list, be sure to check back again for more supermarket brands you can own.