Look Past Whole Foods if You Want to Get Into Natural and Organic Space

The natural and organic trend is alive and well, and if you're in doubt just look at the results we've seen in the past week from some of the top players within the space. On Monday we heard from WhiteWave Foods; the company posted terrific quarterly results across the board, most impressively delivering 12% organic sales growth year-over-year. This follows up on last week, where we saw a string of great results from both Whole Foods and Hain Celestial. If you're worried you missed the rally in these three names, don't be. There's another leading retailer out there that doesn't get the credit it deserves, and that's Kroger, the second-largest supermarket chain in the United States. Kroger grasped the importance of the rapidly growing market for natural and organic foods much earlier than many of its competitors in the traditional grocery space. In 2012 they launched their own private label organic brand, Simple Truth, which now has 400 items in 45 different product categories. According to the CEO, Rodney McMullen, well over half of Kroger's in-store customers will buy something natural each visit. In fact, Kroger's management has suggested that their entire organic and natural business could double within a relatively short time-frame. Here's the bottom line: Kroger is a unique, under-appreciated, way to play the healthy living trend, so put this stock on your shopping list before it's too late.