The decline in sales of organic produce looks to be flattening out, according to the Soil Association.
Soil Association director Patrick Holden told freshinfo that sales have declined 13-14 per cent over the past 12 months as the organic message has taken a battering in the economic downturn. He said: “During the recession, organic sales suffered disproportionately compared to local, Fairtrade and free-range, for example. Label schemes identifying a single issue seem to have had more resilience.”
Holden believes the “systemic approach” of organics has not held up so well. He said: “Organics advances the environment, sustainability, ethics and health in one systemic approach. Our message is holistic and the last thing we should do is back away from it, but our challenge is to get that message across to the public.”
The Soil Association maintains that it managed to hold onto a hard core of committed organic shoppers during the recession. He said: “What we have seen is the lower the level of understanding among consumers, the more they have abandoned organics in the recession or down-traded to connected categories such as free-range, for example… Supermarkets anticipated down-trading and reduced their organic offer, but what they didn’t take into account is that some of the highest spenders are buying organics.”
Holden backs this up with research from dunhumby which has shown that shopping baskets with at least one organic item in them are highest in value.
The Soil Association is the charity link partner for a new film Food Inc, which goes on general release in UK cinemas on Friday and which Holden expects will help boost interest in organics. Also on the horizon in 2010 is a cross-sector generic promotion of organics to communicate a clear holistic message about the produce’s benefits.
No comments yet