Scotland: Organic consumers continue to buy

A recent survey by the market research company Mintel found that half of all organic shoppers would reduce or give up buying organic food in the coming months, reports the Press and Journal. Richard Perks, director of retail and financial research at Mintel, said that consumers were beginning to question the value of organics and the added benefits they got from paying a premium. He considered it as important that retailers and suppliers needed to communicate ethical, environmental and personal benefits.
 

Ms Seel, partner of Vital Veg in Aberdeenshire, reported that their customers were stable and sales were going up slightly. In her opinion, part of the reason they were doing so well was because they were a local business. The manager of Aberdeen’s Nature’s Larder stated he was not aware of sales in the store dropping, although he said there had not been any increase over the last six months. He continued that they offered an organic alternative to everything on the shelves. There was not much difference in price and he he refused to stock organic goods that were far more expensive than the non-organic alternative. Beverly Watt from Grampian Health Food in Aberdeen agreed. There was really not much difference in cost, so the people of Aberdeen were still buying organic food. Her store hadn’t noticed a big difference in the number of organic sales lately.
 

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk