Asda and Tesco have hit back at a report in the Grocer last week that suggested their organic sales are falling and they have cut back on the number of lines by a third.
Tesco insisted that the figures quoted by the magazine did not relate to fresh produce where sales have been experiencing an uplift. A spokeswoman said: “What we said at our results last week still stands: we have seen an increase in sales in organics, especially produce. For example organic blueberries are up 86 per cent and Gala apples are up 20 per cent year on year.”
The retailer has faced criticism over the past year for cutting back on shelf-space dedicated to organics at the first sign of a recession. The spokeswoman told freshinfo: “We are just responding to our customers. We are committed to the organic market and we have a loyal customer base. We know that customers have been looking at ways to save money, which over the last couple of years has resulted in a more mixed basket of both value and premium lines. However, because we continue to provide a really strong organic offering at great prices, customers are buying their organic food in Tesco rather than in any other supermarket.”
At Asda, a spokeswoman said that any reduction in organic lines has not happened in produce but rather in the processed sector where there were several duplications. She said: “We have not done this on produce. What we are also seeing is that there is demand from our customers for more local products. That is where the growth is rather than in organics.”
