Research Paper on:
Whole Foods Market

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
sales grew from $13.8 billion in 2005 to $17 billion in 2006 (Thompson, 2012). That represents a 22 percent growth. In 2007, the figure jumps to $850 billion when food  and beverages categorized as natural are included. The retail sales of natural beverages and foods increased by double-digits through the 1990s but growth retreated to single digits, between 7 and  9 percent in the 2000s (Thompson, 2012). Prior to 1990, there were no clear definitions of what constituted an organic food or a natural food. This issue was resolved with  the Organic Food Production Act of 1990, which was followed by the labeling standards for organic foods in 2002. To be labeled organic, products must be gown with no chemicals,  no synthetic pesticides, no sewage-based fertilizers, no antibiotics or growth hormones, and they could not have been irradiated or genetically modified in any way (Thompson, 2012). These are labeled 100%  organic. The second category is organic products which means they have at least 95 percent organically certified ingredients. Then, there are made with organic ingredients labels which require the product  to have at least 70 percent organic ingredients. If the product has less than 70 percent organic ingredients they cannot be labeled organic. Whole Foods Market was founded in  1980 in Austin, Texas by two college dropouts. It grew quickly and by 2007, sales reached $6.6 billion with 276 stores across the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. The  companys sales increased by 30 percent annually between 1991 and 2000 and 20 percent since 2000. The company is committed to the highest quality and offers customers 100% satisfaction. The  increasing consumer demand for organic foods was a major factor in the companys rapid success. The Organic Foods Act and the subsequent labeling requirements also contributed to Whole Foods Market