If you’re wondering who will be the next target of the organic food movement—look no further than the family pet. Sales of all-natural and organic pet food are up significantly, according to IBISWorld Inc., a market research firm in Illinios.

While preparing to send my donation to the Organic Consumers Association (www.organicconsumers.org), I thought now would be a good time to update everyone about some of the publicly-traded companies that are involved in the organic and natural foods industry. Some of them have take quite a hit lately, but the future still looks bright and profit...

Healthy, Natural and Organic Foods are in demand by the consumer, but current offerings are sorely lacking and quite limited. We are bringing healthy to the vernacular of the fast food industry. Organic food and local produce is in demand. Our restaurant will not only be organic but green. Planet friendly design including hydroponics on the roof.

If supermarkets can stock sections full of organic and "natural" foods, why not a local food aisle?

Britain's Prince Charles has been building a natural and organic premium foods empire over the past few years. The Prince's company, Duchy Originals, just introduced its latest creation: A line of fresh, handmade gourmet sandwiches prepared with all organic ingredients. The Earl of Sandwich would be proud.

A health food store is a type of grocery store that primarily sells organic foods, local produce, and often nutritional supplements. Health food stores often offer foods for people with special dietary needs, such as people with allergies and diabetics, and also for vegans, vegetarians, and people living entirely on raw food. Health foodThe term health food has no official definition. Some terms that are associated with health food are macrobiotics, natural foods, organic foods and whole foods. Macrobiotics is a diet focusing primarily on whole cereals. Whole cereals, along with other whole foods, are foods that are minimally processed. Whole cereals generally have their fiber, germ and hull intact and are considered more nutritious. Natural foods are simply foods that contain no artificial ingredients. Organic foods are foods that are grown without the use of conventional and artificial pesticides and must meet certain organic standards. History of health food storesMany foods which are now commonplace in groceries first entered the market in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Efforts by early health pioneers such as Sylvester Graham, Horace Greeley, John Harvey Kellogg, George Ohsawa, Ellen White and others spurred an interest in health food. As early as the 1920s and 1930s health food stores started opening in the United States selling products such as blackstrap molasses and brewer's yeast. Health food stores became much more common in the 1960s in connection to the newly emerging ecology movement and counterculture.Many health food stores are worker owned cooperatives and consumers' cooperatives due in part to their growth of popularity during the counterculture movement of the 1960s and 1970s and the ability of cooperative buying power to bring lower costs to the consumer.Over the last decade, health food, and especially organic food, has entered the mainstream. Companies such as Whole Foods Market, a large multinational corporation, have profited greatly and grown substantially during this expansion.