When it comes to buying organic, our European counterparts are far more aware of the benefits of organic than we are here in the UK according to a new report. In countries where there is greater investment and awareness of the organic sector, the consumption of organic food per head of population is far greater, and in some cases almost four times more than in the UK -
Denmark (€139)
Switzerland (€132)
Austria (€104)
Germany (€71)
France (€47)
UK (€34)
(Source: Eurostat).
To help raise the profile of organic in the UK, the organic industry is launching its three-year ’Why I Love Organic’ campaign. Under the banner "There are lots of reasons to love organic – discover yours", the campaign aims to democratise organic and make organic food more relevant to people’s everyday lives.
More than 90 organisations have pledged money to the campaign including retailers Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose, as well as big name organic brands such as Green & Black’s, Organix , Rachel’s and Yeo Valley. Match funded by the EU, this is the first time that companies have come together to provide a single voice for the sector.
In the last quarter of 2010, organic sales were starting to increase and anecdotal evidence from key companies shows that in the run up to Christmas, sales have increased year on year during this key period.
Paul Moore, Marketing Director for Crazy Jack Organic has reported strong sales growth in the last quarter with sales up 40.1% compared to the same period in 2009. Lynette Sinclair, Managing Director of Tideford Organic Foods has seen sales in December 2010 increase 11% compared to December 2009 and Sam Trebbick, Commercial Director at Produce World Ltd tells a similar story with December 2010 sales up 7% year on year.
Catherine Fookes, Sustain’s Campaign Manager says "Like many business sectors, organic has suffered during the recession.
The recent increase is fantastic news, showing that organic sales are really starting to bounce back as consumers are beginning to spend more on quality items. We know that when it comes to food, issues such as naturalness and restricted use of pesticides are important to consumers, however they don’t realise that this is exactly what they would get if they were to buy organic. The term organic is widely misunderstood and through the ’Why I Love Organic’ campaign, we want to challenge the stereotypes around organic and help consumers to understand exactly what it means and discover the many reasons to love it."
There are many benefits to buying organic – it’s natural, great tasting food that is better for nature, better for animal welfare and contains less pesticides. A new website www.whyiloveorganic.co.uk has been created that will showcase the benefits of organic food, feature up to date news and recipe suggestions.
Research by independent price tracker Brandview has shown that the difference of a weekly shop in cost between 20 organic vs non organic store cupboard staples is less than £5.00. There are very strict standards which organic farmers and producers have to meet which means that more time and care is taken to produce organic food and the price reflects this. However, the important issue is that in buying organic, you also have peace of mind with better animal welfare, less pesticides and overall natural & great tasting food.
