DALLAS — Consumers have increased their spending on healthy foods in the past several months despite price inflation, according to a study released here yesterday at the inaugural Healthy Foods International Exposition and Conference. The study — which solicited feedback from the industry and from more than 1,000 consumers in November 2007 and again in May 2008 — found that respondents indicated they were spending approximately 7.7% more on healthy foods in May than they did in November — $191.45 per household per month, compared with $177.69. “This appears to be both an acceptance of actual inflation in organic food prices and a deepening desire to find alternatives to conventionally produced goods,” the study noted. The survey indicated that 97.7% of respondents spent a portion of their grocery budgets on healthy foods in May, up from 96.5% in November; it also said 47.6% of households reported that at least half their purchases consisted of healthy foods. The event was co-sponsored by SN and New Hope Natural Media, both divisions of Penton Media, New York.

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