According to the Organic Trade Association, the sale of organic foods increased 16 percent in 2005 alone, bringing in $13.8 million in sales. More and more fresh, whole-food, and organic grocers are popping up across the United States, and traditional grocers and food producers are taking notice.

The Giants

Whole Foods Market started in Austin, Texas, and now operates more than 200 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Not only are they the world's leading retailer of natural and organic food, Fortune magazine consistently lists Whole Foods as one of its top 100 companies to work for. Whole Foods came in at number five in the 2007 list.

The Fresh Market is another chain grocery store that focuses primarily on organic and natural foods. Growing from one location in Greenville, South Carolina, the company now has stores across the Southeast and Midwest.

Feeling pressure from growing specialty organic stores, more mainstream grocery stores are including a variety of organic food in their inventories as well. Brands such as Nature's Best and Newman's Own are common in many conventional grocery stores. Many stores have even started their own lines of organic foods. The Kroger Company, the country's largest supermarket, started the Naturally Preferred line in 2002, which now includes more than 275 items.

Even large food producers are getting in on the organic options. Kraft Foods now makes USDA-certified organic macaroni and cheese, and their DiGiorno spinach and garlic thin-crust pizza is made using organic ingredients.

Smaller Grocers

Smaller independent markets consistently buy locally grown fruits and vegetables that are fresh and seasonal. That means the produce people eat spends more time ripening on the vine than traveling across the country — or around the world. Most people are used to having a variety of fruits and vegetables available year-round. But for this to happen, fruits and vegetables have to be trucked and transported, which uses fuel and produces carbon dioxide. A growing movement encourages food labels to include information about how many miles the product traveled from the farm to the store. This information would allow shoppers to purchase more locally grown produce and avoid food that's made a longer haul.

Studies performed by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture in Iowa compared locally grown produce to fruit and vegetables shipped from different places to the same location. An Iowa-grown apple only traveled about 61 miles from orchard to store, while other apples traveled on average 1,726 miles. Local spinach went about 36 miles while out-of-town spinach tacked on 1,800 miles before landing in the produce case.

Farmers' Markets and Health Food Stores

There are also more specialized farmers' markets and health-food stores where people can purchase lines of organic and natural foods that might not be available elsewhere. The term farmers' market can mean anything from an open-air market where farmers and their families sell directly to consumers to full-scale stores utilizing distribution networks to bring a combination of locally and internationally grown produce to their bins.

Many cities support locally grown fruits, vegetables, and plants by providing space for weekend markets. These markets often include local entertainment and exhibits, creating a true community event. Farmers or their families are often on hand to answer questions and offer explanations. Larger farmers' markets carry a variety of organic products; however, they do not necessarily carry local produce and tend to bring in many exotic fruits and vegetables.

Health-food stores carry fresh produce similar to what you would find at a farmers' market, but they also offer organic, natural, and whole foods. Items sold at health-food stores range from baby food to breakfast cereal to soups. Stores may also carry special dietary foods such as gluten-free products. Much like conventional grocery stores, health-food stores carry personal items, like shampoo and soap, along with nutritional supplements and homeopathic treatments. Some health-food stores have a café offering a selection of healthful sandwiches and snacks.

Online Alternatives

If you would like your food to come to you, try Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). This program allows you to buy “shares” in a local farm. You will receive a basket of produce every week or month, depending on the farm. You can pick up your basket at a prearranged location or it may be delivered to your home or office. The Local Harvest website allows you to find participating farms in your area.