Retailers roll out self-branded organics

Giant Foods and its sister chain Stop & Shop Supermarkets recently launched a line of natural and organic foods to catch this building food industry wave. The new brand, to be sold under the name Nature's Promise, will include a wide variety of products, such as milk, butter, cookies and frozen vegetables, according to the Washington Post. The company noted not only rising consumer demand but higher margins for organics.Giant is the leading chain in the District of Columbia area, and Stop & Shop is big in New England. Both are owned by Dutch conglomerate Royal Ahold NV. Consumers spent $20.5 billion on organic and natural foods in 2003, up from about $8.3 billion four years ago, according to the Food Marketing Institute.