NATURAL'S DOMAIN

MARYELLEN LO BOSCO

WESTBURY, N.Y. -- King Kullen Grocery Co. here stays ahead of the curve when it comes to natural and organic choices.

The chain continues to introduce and expand alternative grocery sections in many of its stores. Of five units that SN visited on Long Island, N.Y., selections are merchandised in anywhere from 40 feet to a full aisle. Three of the five sections are signed with a blue and orange "Natural Foods" banner that arches over the aisle.

At four of the five stores, a large sign posted on the window facing the outside reads "Come Visit Our New Organic/Natural Food Aisle." In addition to grocery sections, all five stores have organic dairy and produce sections, and one store has a impressive selection of organic frozen food.

King Kullen appears to have a corporate commitment to providing its Long Island customers with healthy alternatives, as evidenced by product selection; a monthly newsletter on nutrition; and in-store programs. Store officials did not return phone calls to confirm observations.

The chain has a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator on staff, Layne Lieberman-Anapol, who edits the newsletter and is available to answer questions by phone. And this fall, the chain will sponsor "Diabetes Day" store tours and food tasting.

King Kullen also operates a natural-food supermarket, Wild By Nature, in East Setauket, N.Y., a university town in Suffolk County. According to store-level sources, a second Wild by Nature unit is planned for the upscale town of Huntington, N.Y., though the opening date has not been announced.

Like many supermarkets across the nation, King Kullen is responding to a national trend toward eating healthier food. The semiannual Natural Products Expo is one of the major forums where new food items are introduced and where retailers, manufacturers and brokers get to network and share expertise.

More than 1,200 companies are expected to exhibit at the Natural Products Expo East, which is being held in Baltimore this week. Attendance is expected to exceed 15,000.

One show feature is a discussion on "The State of the Natural Product Industry," which will include discourse on how the retail marketplace is changing to meet consumer demand.

King Kullen is among the chains doing just that. For the past few months, natural/organic sections have been introduced or expanded in many of its stores. According to store-level sources, a section was added to its Eastport, N.Y., store just two months ago. Similarly, departments in its Massapequa Park, N.Y., and Hampton Bays, N.Y., units were launched several months ago.

The Hampton Bays and Eastport units make use of freestanding aisles to accommodate natural food.

In Hampton Bays, the section is about 4 feet high and 36 feet long on either side. The aisle is located between deli and produce.

About 16 feet is devoted to chips, dips, and rice cakes, with Guiltless Gourmet and Bearito's organic chips getting the lion's share of shelf space. Salsa and bean dips from the Garden of Eatin, Muir Glen and Enrico's fill out the section.

Four feet is devoted to cookies, candies, fruit snacks and peanut butter; and another 4 feet is devoted to cereals. Soy- and rice-milk products share 12 feet of space with medicinal teas, chai (ready-to-drink Indian tea) and After the Fall juices.

An endcap completes the beverage section, with more juices, natural sodas and nonalcoholic sangria.

Products from Fantastic Foods dominate 20 feet of space devoted to instant soup and instant meal items, box meal kits, and grain items like couscous and jasmine rice. This section also includes Arrowhead Mills seeds and dried beans; canned beans, some of which are organic; and Healthy Valley soups, chili and instant meals in larger sizes.

Pastas and pasta sauces are given 8 feet. Muir Glen canned and ready-to-heat organic tomato sauces share space with organic and nonorganic pastas.

Another 4 feet is devoted primarily to condiments and similar products, including cooking sauces, maple syrup, Mediterranean garnishes and relishes, sea salt, mayonnaise, salad dressings, mustards, seaweed, oils and cooking sprays.

Bread, pancake mixes and grain flours make up another 8 feet, including products from Arrowhead Mills and Hodgson Mill. Also here is oatmeal; apple sauces; tahini (sesame paste); natural sugar products, such as turbinado sugar and Florida Crystals; and honey. Some of the grain products are organic.

A second endcap carries additional condiments, such as organic dill pickles from Cascadian Farm, relishes, olives, fruit spreads, marinades, apple butters, chai mix, barbecue sauces, dipping sauces and cooking wines.

Another endcap nearby holds refrigerated organic juices, along with premium apple cider, lemonade, fresh fruit salad and wine.

The setup in Eastport is similar to Hampton Bays, but the freestanding aisle is not signed. Instead, it is placed adjacent to the "Organic Dairy," which is signed in all the stores. The aisle is located in front of the deli section.

The Eastport store has a much smaller section, with 40 feet of groceries on shelving about 4 feet high. But the section also has a separate freestanding rack of organic bread and a larger selection of cereals.

The King Kullen unit in Massapequa Park devotes almost an entire grocery aisle to natural food. The aisle, which is adjacent to deli, has a "Natural Foods" sign arching the aisle and distinctive wooden shelving. Included in the department are dietetic food, health food, health soups, natural and organic food, diet food and low-salt offerings.

Because of the extra space, this unit carries more brands and varieties in almost every category. For example, there are 50 stockkeeping units of rice alone.

The store has a good selection of flours made from various grains and bread, brownie and pancake mixes. There's also a good variety of breakfast items, including cold and hot cereals and instant hot cereal cups; cereal bars; fruit bars; tarts; and unprocessed bran.

A greater number of soy- and rice-milk brands can also be found, along with more medicinal teas; organic and nonorganic pastas; quick-cooking items, such as box soup kits; exotic grains; and organic pasta sauce. Healthy Valley soups also have more room, stretching out with 25 SKUs.

In addition to juices, natural sodas and juice sodas, this unit has bottled water from Hawaii in the natural-food section.

A separate frozen section marked "Kosher" contains Amy's vegetarian and organic items, Cascadian Farm organic vegetarian meals, vegetarian Indian meals and veggie burgers.

Like the Massapequa Park store, a unit in Hicksville, N.Y., mixes its natural-food aisle with other items, including diet food, bottled water and toast. According to a store-level source, the section has been up about four months.

One side of an aisle is devoted to natural food, and another 12 feet on the opposite side of the aisle is allocated for more than 40 SKUs of rice cakes and rice cake products, including several private-label products.

This store has a large variety of crackers, with most of them more gourmet items than health-food items.

Overall, the selection is similar to the Massapequa Park store, though on a smaller scale.

Meanwhile, the natural-food section at a King Kullen in Levittown, N.Y., was expanded a few months ago. It is still fairly small, with about 40 linear feet of groceries. Again, the selection is similar to the other stores, but with less variety. Interestingly, there are no box cereals in the section.

According to a store-level source, the section is doing "OK," but the store is still experimenting with which items to stock.