It’s no secret that, when it comes to health and wellness retailing, women rule. Not only are they the ones buying most of the products — they’re also the impassioned voice driving many of the trends we see, from healthy kids’ options to better-for-you snacks and beyond.

So for retailers, it’s good to stay up on the latest consumer polls, like the one our parent company Penton, in concert with women’s lifestyle website iVillage.com, just released.

The results, which come from input submitted by close to 5,000 iVillage readers, aren’t surprising in a broad sense. But they do underscore the growing number of women saying they want to eat healthy, and then putting their ideals into action. Seventy-three percent of respondents, for example, say they read labels closely and are concerned about certain hot-button ingredients, like high-fructose corn syrup. And 50% say they look for specific health attributes like “low sodium” or “high in fiber” as opposed to general claims like “natural” and “organic”.

Here are a few other findings:

- 71% want to buy healthful products from mainstream grocers.

- 57% believe organic food is better for them.

- Only 26%, however, say they’ll go out of their way to purchase it.

- 39% say time is the biggest obstacle to healthful eating, followed by willpower and motivation.

The 71% figure should be especially encouraging to our readers. Indeed, that shows just how far supermarkets have come as wellness destinations — and how much further consumers want them to go.

Topco Associates’ pitch for the dormant Wild Oats brand name seems — at first blush — like an odd move. What would a company that already offers a pretty successful private-label natural/organic brand called Full Circle want with a retail name that hasn’t been seen on shelves for three years?

Or, more to the point: Why would Topco want it?

First, the background: The Wild Oats brand name has been for sale since Whole Foods Market acquired Wild Oats in 2007. A messy antitrust battle with federal regulators ensued, and ended only after Whole Foods agreed to sell off 32 Wild Oats units, along with the brand (to date, three stores have actually been sold).

Fast forward three years. According to papers filed with the Federal Trade Commission, Topco and Luberski Inc., a Fullerton, Calif.-based food-product supplier, are both bidding for the Wild Oats rights. A source familiar with Topco tells me that Topco has been interested in the name since the acquisition.

Why? The current thinking is that Topco will position the Wild Oats name as a “better-for-you” brand that complements the existing Full Circle natural/organic line, similar to what Safeway has done with its “O” Organics and Eating Right brands.

Adding a lesser-evil tier will allow retailers who pull from Topco to offer an additional line, with different price points and product attributes, to mainstream customers who might otherwise simply buy conventional products if given only a natural/organic option. more

It’s tough to stay focused when there’s so much ground to cover — and so much food to eat. Nevertheless, we were able to pick a couple trends that stood out from today’s show. They could be duds, or they could be the next big wave to hit the industry. Hey, we call ‘em like we see ‘em.

- Water packaging: With bottled water undergoing something of an image crisis these days, it seems manufacturers are finding new ways to deliver. We saw water in pouches, cartons, glass bottles and spiffy new recyclable containers. One company, H2O Box, markets entirely around its packaging, which is 100% recyclable and can biodegrade within 7 years.

- Sweeteners: With high-fructose corn syrup on the ropes, and serious questions being posed about artificial sweeteners like aspartame, suppliers are stepping up with alternatives from some interesting places. There’s stevia, of course. But we also saw lots of agave nectar today, as well as evaporated palm sugar, of all things.

- Dried fruit: It seems consumers want to eat their fruit, but maybe don’t have the time or patience to deal with the real thing. A depressing thought, for sure. But the dried options, which have been around for years, are getting a facelift with interesting new presentation (tubs, pouches, bulk bins), and some delicious company like nuts, granola and various grains.

- Tablets: Particularly in the household cleaning sector, the idea of cutting down on waste by reusing the same container has taken hold. Companies provide the bottle, along with the tablets that you drop in, add water, and….voila!

When you’re the best, you’re always looking to get better.

Colorado currently has the lowest obesity rate of any state in the union. If you look at this map from the Centers for Disease Control, it’s the only state colored blue, indicating that less than 20% of the population (the exact number is 18.5% as of 2008) is obese. That’s pretty good, especially when compared to Deep South states like Alabama and Mississippi, which have obesity rates above 30%.

So you’d think the Rocky Mountain state could kick back, have a veggie burger, and bask in its relative healthfulness. Wrong. Citizens and advocacy groups are working hard to keep their state in fighting form, and even bring obesity rates down further.

One organization called LiveWell Colorado just today released a “Food Policy Blueprint” that’s impressive for its comprehensiveness, and gives a glimpse into why the state is flying high. It focuses specifically on access and policy issues, encouraging a system of subsidies and other incentives to encourage healthy retailing and farmers markets in underserved areas, as well in schools. That’s targeting the most affected and at-risk segment of the population, and it echoes the Obama administration’s recent announcement that it will spend $400 million to help eradicate food deserts. more

The FDA has sent out warning letters to 17 food manufacturers claiming that certain products violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The development follows last October’s statement by FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg urging companies to review their nutrition claims.

Yesterday’s letters serve as a reminder that the agency is serious about holding manufacturers accountable for the promises they make to their customers. The vast majority of companies making health claims have been careful to include studies, research findings and other data supporting their claims on their websites, or otherwise make them available to consumers.

Even so, the FDA is saying companies continue to overreach, or neglect to balance their claims with statements that point out other nutritional aspects that are not so healthy.

For example, many of the manufacturers on this most recent list were cited for making claims such as “0 grams of trans fat” – a statement that, in and of itself, is accurate. However, many of these products contain significant amounts of saturated (bad) fats, or cholesterol, or sodium. FDA regulations state that if these nutritional elements exceed a certain amount, then manufacturers must include an ancillary notice next to any front-panel health declarations that directs the consumer to the Nutrition Facts panel.

There, they’ll see that the product does not have any trans fats as stated but, Wow, it’s loaded with saturated fat, cholesterol or sodium. No thanks, I’ll pass. more

Here’s further proof that healthful eating can be the best medicine: An Ohio insurance company that’s shipping boxes of fresh produce to policyholders.

Medical Mutual, a Cleveland-based insurer that serves 1.6 million, started the promotion last month. Eligible customers sign up and pay $25 for each box of fresh fruits and vegetables that come from none other than The Chef’s Garden, the well-known grower in nearby Huron that supplies high-profile restaurants like New York City’s Aureole, and the French Laundry in California. A recent shipment described in a Plain-Dealer story included red fingerling potatoes, candy-striped beets and baby bok choy.

So recipients get great-tasting produce, and they throw in their lot with sustainable agriculture, the guiding principle behind how The Chefs Garden farms its 260 acres.

There’s just one complaint, and it crops up a few times in the comments section of the Plain-Dealer article. Apparently the boxes are pretty small. “Tons of packing, very little produce. We didn’t even have enough greens to make 2 salads,” wrote one disgruntled customer.

Sadly, eating healthy is expensive, and buying from a boutique grower doesn’t help matters much. But there’s no discouraging the principle behind this story — that preventive care through healthful eating is gaining momentum. And sourcing from local farms is icing on the cake. more

With so many different apps and gadgets springing up around the supermarket industry, it’s only appropriate that we get this, an interactive map detailing just about anything you’d care to know about food availability, our eating habits, and how depressingly obese we’ve become.

It’s called Your Food Environment Atlas, and it’s courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of the Obama administration’s drive to get Americans — and especially kids — eating healthier. Earlier this month Michelle Obama launched Let’s Move, a nationwide effort to increase availability of healthful foods for kids, and to get them exercising more. The administration also announced it plans to spend $400 million to help eliminate food deserts.

The new food atlas is incredibly detailed, and that makes it a fun, useful tool for consumers and food industry insiders alike. Go ahead, play around with it for a while. Want to know what U.S. county eats the most pounds of fruits and vegetables? How about the regions with the highest density of fast food restaurants? I was interested to see the distribution of farms that sell directly to consumers.

Other than being a diversion when things get slow at work, the USDA’s atlas is a definitive guide in the drive to make America healthier. That might sound overblown, but information is power, and this much information can go a long way. The food industry has stated time and again its commitment to helping people lead healthy lives. Well, now they have a good idea of what they’re up against.

National Nutrition Month was developed by the American Dietetic Association and its members as a way of highlighting the benefits of a good diet. It’s good we have an entire moth to host activities, because there’s a lot of new information every year to get out into the hands of consumers.

This year’s theme is “Nutrition from the Ground Up.” You can learn more at eatright.org. I’ve been able to get a sneak peek at things this year and here are some ideas to get you started:

• Coordinate store tours for seniors, persons with diabetes, parents of children, or people just looking to eat healthy. If you don’t have a registered dietitian on staff, check with your local healthcare facility and offer your store.

• Don’t forget local school groups! It’s a great way for kids to see some unusual fruits and veggies, explore some new foods and learn from the experts how food gets from the farm to the table.

• Feature some endcap displays of whole grains, a display of fruits and veggies…in other words, stock the perimeters with healthy options. While you are at it, ask your vendors to support some taste-testings!

• Check out your prepared foods section and add options that feature organically grown or minimally processed foods. more

The larger something is, the longer it takes to turn (sometimes with terrible results). But watch out. Once the turn starts, all the energy going into the effort creates a momentum that’s nearly impossible to stop.

Such is the case with Wal-Mart, the retailer everyone loves to hate. For years, it’s been attacked as a downscale, obese operation that kills the communities in which it opens. The unflattering portrait is often bolstered by small-business advocates and disgruntled employees who point out the chain’s blind devotion to selling at the lowest price, consequences be damned.

Those criticisms are coming fewer and farther between now, thanks to the company’s ongoing efforts in the area of sustainability and health and wellness. Just lat week, the retailer confirmed publicly that all of the eggs it sells in all of its stores are cage-free. The announcement prompted the Humane Society of the United States, a leader in animal welfare, to withdraw a shareholder resolution it submitted to Wal-Mart last November calling on the company to disclose its progress moving toward cage-free eggs.

Noting that Wal-Mart has 30% of the food retail market, HSUS is hoping it will influence other industry heavyweights.

“Wal-Mart’s move is a positive one, and we hope its competitors follow suit,” said Paul Shapiro, senior director of the group’s factory farming campaign.

Meanwhile, the March issue of The Atlantic includes an article by the magazine’s food writer, who finds that Wal-Mart’s produce sections are competitive with the basic offerings found at Whole Foods Market. Not only that, but the retailer has been diligent in trying to increase the availability of local-grown foods in its stores as part of its ongoing mandate to consider sustainability and a social consciousness in going about day-to-day business.

Wal-Mart’s idea of promoting “Heritage Agriculture,” an in-house concept introduced during the tenure of then-CEO Lee Scott in 2007, is but one aspect of this larger umbrella program that extends well beyond produce. more

Most of the attention at food shows goes to the fun, “around the plate” foods like chocolates and cheeses, teas and olive oils. “Center of the plate” offerings are usually few and far between. But this year, I am already noticing a handful of companies offering items that answer the daily question, “What’s for dinner?”

One company in particular caught my eye and piqued my interest with its steamable, sustainable seafood entrees like Japanese Black Sesame Wild Ahi Tuna, Veracruz Style Tilapia and Wasabi Ginger Wild Salmon. These are not your chemical-feast TV dinners of yore; instead, they are all-natural, flavorful meals with seafood as the protein of choice. These products were in trays, but more and more steamable meals are popping up in grocers’ freezers in bags that perform the same function.

Another company out of the Chicagoland area is producing restaurant-quality meals much like you can find in high-end European retailers like Picard in France. They are starting with high-quality ingredients to produce an upscale meal — also in a steam bag — that you would be proud to serve to your family and friends.

Interestingly enough, this steamable technology cropped up first in private label offerings from Europe before it was adopted by frozen vegetable producers. The frozen veggie manufacturers have been on board with steam-in-the-bag offerings for the past few years now, so it’s a natural transition that the entrée manufacturers would follow suit. Now that most households in America cannot “cook” without a microwave, we’re seeing new item introductions with microwave-only instructions. The day of the dual microwave or oven tray seems to be a thing of the past. more