Published: July 19, 2008 11:43 pm      

Catering to diets

Whether for health or religion, local stores stock specialty foods

FAIRMONT — If persons are looking for specific foods for their health, religion or other reason, some stores in the area can provide these specialty items.

Mountain People’s Market Co-op has been in business for more than 30 years. The store is in Morgantown, but people stop by from Charleston, Pennsylvania and all over.

Tyler Wright, bulk manager, said this natural foods cooperative carries a variety of bulk items. Bulk helps save on packaging and is important in the long run, he said.

The store sells specialty products, such as a popular herbal tea called Kombucha and gluten-free foods.

“With genetically modified plants and produce, we find a lot of allergies popping up in recent times” Wright said. “A lot of people are gluten intolerant to an extreme degree.”

He said the store tries to carry a lot of local items. Customers can find barbecue sauces, tofu, coffee, eggs and produce from West Virginia.

“I think there’s a need all around the world for these types of items,” Wright said.

People visit the store for different reasons, he said. Some are shopping for organic products, while others are looking for special dietary foods. Mountain People’s Market Co-op also has a supplement section.

Meena Anada and her husband Harish own International Groceries & Spices Inc. stores in Morgantown and Charleston. They started the Morgantown shop 20 years ago, and the Charleston location has been open for 10 years.

These stores offer food items from 20 to 30 different countries. They can provide all the supplies that a customer would need for any specialty cooking and can also take special orders. International Groceries & Spices can help if someone is trying to make a particular recipe — whether it’s Thai, Japanese, Indian, Korean or something else, Meena said.

She said her shops offer a wide selection of items in a small space. They have spices, grains, rice, beans, lentils, vegetables, desserts, fresh seafood and “lots and lots of choices.” International Groceries also has some organic products and health and whole foods, as well as some pre-packaged and ready-made items.

“You name it and we have it,” she said.

People from Maryland often come to the Morgantown shop. Customers travel from across the state as well as from Kentucky and Ohio to visit the store in Charleston.

“Everybody’s learning to eat different food than your normal basic (meals),” Meena said.

Going into ethnic foods is a way for people to diversify their kitchen and add a variety of tastes, she said. Plus, it’s healthier to incorporate different foods into a diet.

“In last five years, I’ve noticed that the traffic in our stores have increased so much,” Meena said. “Some people have changed their diet and became vegetarians.”

The Middletown Mall Shop ’n Save in Fairmont has an organic section of the store and a separate area dedicated to Morningstar Farms products, which are all-vegetarian and include meatless pork, sausage and bacon. J.P. Pratt, assistant manager, said the business has soy items and kosher products.

He said it’s important to provide these specific types of foods for customers.

“If you don’t carry it somebody else will and your customers will go elsewhere not just for that product (but for other needs),” Pratt said.

Persons can also request foods and Shop ’n Save will try to get them from its warehouses.

“We go out of our way to get the special order items in,” Pratt said.

Sometimes it’s difficult to accommodate certain specialty needs, he said. Shop ’n Save can’t just order a couple packages of a product — it has to get a whole case.

“Unless you have enough of a market for it, you’re going to take a loss,” he said. “I think we have quite a large selection. It’s just hard. You have to cater to the area really.”

Because North Marion IGA in Mannington is a smaller supermarket, it doesn’t have a big organic product line or supply of ethnic foods, co-owner Russell Yost said. However, the business does order specific items for customers who make requests. For example, people have asked for whole wheat flour in the past.

The store’s customer base is primarily senior citizens and country people, he said. Produce is a large part of North Marion IGA’s sales, and the shop slices meats and cheeses fresh as customers order them.

In the past six months, Food Lion at Marion Square in Fairmont has become a lot more organic. Manager Larry Maditz said the store has recently added more organic items to its selection.

“We’re starting to get into organics,” he said. “Food Lion as a company is going to organic sets.”

Beside the regular vegetables, Food Lion has a section in the store specifically for organic produce, Maditz said. Customers can find organic peppers, onions, tomatoes and more.

He said these specialty products help “to give good customer service” and “to bring customers to the store,” because people want naturally grown products.

“You’ve got customers asking for it, and you try to get what they want,” Maditz said. “A lot of customers want organic right now. No preservatives — that’s what they’re after.”

At Giant Eagle, customers can visit the Nature’s Basket department for products that support vegetarian, vegan, organic, gluten-free and dairy-free lifestyles, spokesperson Dick Roberts said. This section offers a large selection of natural and organic items, including grocery, dairy, frozen, health and beauty care.

“The Nature’s Basket organic foods contain no genetically modified ingredients and are free of artificial flavors and preservatives,” he said. “The department has been very well received by customers and has grown as their tastes and interests have evolved.”

Giant Eagle stores offer the most popular kosher brands and have a variety of items from around the globe in the International Foods section. Organic items are also integrated into other departments for the convenience of customers, Roberts said.

He said the company’s Web site, www.gianteagle.com, features a Health and Wellness Center that contains information on healthy living. Customers can also go to the site’s Special Order Service to request a specific item that is not available in a given store.

“Giant Eagle believes in providing customers with a wide array of choices and items that accommodate special dietary needs, taste preferences and lifestyles,” Roberts said. “In addition, the company knows that organically-grown and natural foods are good for them and that families love how they taste.”

“Rather than seeking out specialty retailers that feature only a specialized selection of niche foods, savvy, health-conscious consumers are increasingly looking for natural and organic options when making regular food purchases at local supermarkets.”

E-mail Jessica Legge at jlegge@timeswv.com.