Still, a natural food store has advantages over a conventional supermarket and even the fanciest grocery.

All distinguish themselves from conventional supermarkets, which they do not consider competition.

Foodland Fresh is more upscale in design and appearance than most conventional supermarkets.

He deemed it "a fine, conventional supermarket, nothing remarkable."

While stores carry most typical grocery products, they feature less variety than conventional supermarkets.

But he also said most conventional supermarkets did poorly with organic produce because they offered so little of it.

He said that 74 percent of natural and organic foods were now sold through mass-market channels like conventional supermarkets.

Like conventional supermarkets, however, it is expanding its line of house-brand products, which are very good.

Shoppers know they're paying, on average, 20 percent more than they would in conventional supermarkets, but they say the extra cost is worth it.

Farmers' markets also sell more organically grown food than conventional supermarkets.