The 2019 Australian Organic Market Report commission by Australian Organic has shown a 15 per cent increase in domestic sales of organic products in the past year.
Domestic sales rose from A$1.67bn (US$1.1bn) in 2017 to A$1.93bn (US$1.32bn) in 2018. This increase was led by fruit and vegetables, which accounted for A$971m (US$667m) of the 2018 total.
The increase in domestic sales was accompanied by an increase in Australian households buying organic products. The report found65 per centof households bought some sort of organic product or produce yearly, an annual rise of 5 per cent.
Australian consumers’ desire for organic products extended beyond just purchasing organics. The report found 55 per centof Australian organic buyers said they look for a certification logo on labels to check if a product is actually organic.
“Unfortunately, there’s been a raft of non-certified products in the market purporting to be organic when they’re not,” said Niki Ford, general manager of Australian Organic.
“Given this, the amount of people checking for a certification logo on the label to check if a product is organic is now significantly higher compared to the recognition factor of just 34 per cent in 2012.
“It’s important that Australian consumers can trust that their dollars are being spent on products that have been rigorously tested to ensure they meet the industry standards.”
