Study: Premium food popularity growing

LYON, France A Reportlinker.com report determined that retail sales of gourmet, specialty and premium foods and beverages are growing at much at a faster pace than those of the overall food and beverage industry in the United States, surging 10.9% to $59 billion in 2007 and maintaing a compound annual growth rate of 11.1% for the 2003 to 2007 period.

Greater availability of gourmet and premium products, growing interest in world cuisines and flavors, the association of high-quality ingredients with health and wellness, overlap of gourmet and natural/organic, the supermarket industry's focus on upscale "fresh formats," higher disposable incomes among U.S. consumers, and product positioning as affordable luxuries have enticed the consumer and driven sales. Such factors have helped produce a growing population of willing-to-spend consumers who are looking for foods that are more adventuresome and yet more nutritious.