Texas chain tests local demand for organic food.(Whole Foods Inc. to build store in Pittsburgh, PA)

Whole Foods is talking with several locations

Whole Foods Inc., a Texas health food grocery chain that claims it is the largest provider of organic foods in the world, is coming to the Pittsburgh area.

"We are in negotiations on several locations," said Mike Besancon, Whole Foods' president for the mid-Atlantic region. "We have intentions of being in Pittsburgh. It's a market we belong in."

Whole Foods plans to begin construction in a year on a 20,000-square-foot store that would open in 2001. A second store could follow.

"We should have things signed at least informally within the next 30 days" said Marc Katz of Baltimore-based HNR Retail …