Dive Brief:
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Earth Fare is opening a new store in Roanake, VA in tandem with the launch of its "Live Longer with Earth Fare" campaign. This new slogan was created in response to America's unexpected life expectancy decline in 2015 — the first time the number has dropped in 20 years, according to a company news release.
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Earth Fare doesn't allow the use of hundreds of harmful chemicals and ingredients in products it sells, and is challenging other supermarkets to make similar commitments.
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“We believe, and science supports us, that the better you eat, the healthier, happier and longer life you can live. Today we are dedicating ourselves to shouting louder as advocates for healthy food and the power it has on our health and our lives,” President and CEO Frank Scorpiniti said.
Dive Insight:
Looking at the average American diet, people are eating their way to an early grave. In response, Earth Fare, which refers to itself as “America’s original healthy supermarket” is challenging other supermarkets to embrace clean products and supply chains.
Consumer desire for product transparency, non-GMO products and organic fruits and vegetables is ramping up. Health trends in the food space show no sign of slowing down, and with scientific news of this magnitude now floating around, demand for fresh, "clean" food will be an even bigger challenge for retailers.
It will be interesting to see how the store's planned expansion will compete with larger retailers like Whole Foods and deep discount chains like Wal-Mart.
Many shoppers can't afford to shop at specialty chains like Earth Fare, and may prefer to buy from a cheaper store with a dedicated organic or health food section. As the grocery space evolves, more and more consumers are looking for high-end amenities and products as a part of their shopping experience. Analysts have also found that shoppers are more interested in product value than sticker price, which gives health-based chains like Earth Fare an edge.
Fear of Big Food can lead to suspicion of big retailers, and smaller chains can capitalize on this by creating something similar to Earth Fare's "Boot List", which displays the chemicals and ingredients found in mainstream products and grocery stores that the retailer refuses to sell.