Prosper and Grow with Organic!

An increasingly confident UK organic market could be seen in 2014: it achieved 1.4% growth and was placed firmly ahead of general food and drink which sagged by 3-4%, the Organic Trade Board reports. 2014 also saw many positive stories in the media helping to raise consumer awareness of the benefits of organic. These included Pesticides Action Network research that confirmed consumers can reduce exposure to pesticide residues by eating organic.

Newcastle University research confirmed organic fruit, vegetables and cereals contain significantly higher concentrations of antioxidants and lower levels of pesticides (we reported earlier). University of California, Berkeley research supplied much needed scrutiny and positive rationale on organic versus conventional crop yields. (Picture: Bread was in the focus of the Organic. Naturally Different campaign)

The Organic Trade Board’s Organic. Naturally Different campaign has played its part in driving growth in the sector: Their two new adverts on beef and bread rolled out across London and received excellent persuasiveness ratings of over 60%. The board’s evaluation showed that organic shoppers that have seen the campaign are increasingly inclined to think organic food is “worth it” and have a deeper understanding of the benefits of organic. The partnerships advertising with Sainsbury’s and MySupermarket had great results contributing to increased organic sales for the Organic Trade Board’s partners.

In 2015, the Organic Trade Board expects to help fill in missing critical detail on the organic consumer, which will be presented at their “Prosper and Grow with Organic" 2015 OTB Retail Briefing in London on 4 March 2015. This year's event, focusing on how organic can deliver retail growth, will bring together key players in the UK organic sector to identify how a long term strategy for the sector can be developed. It will see the launch a groundbreaking organic consumer report - the first quantitative research on the organic consumer in the UK providing much needed insight to inform effective growth strategies. More information is available here