Organic protagonists in Italy

96 % of the interviewed answered the questions explicitly and open, a high percentage stated their name and company and their position within the company they worked for. The data which was collected showed that the organic sector had the intention and the ability to resist the decline in the Italian market which had been recorded in recent years and that organic products could be promoted even further through effective arguments and marketing strategies.
 

The surveyed were asked various questions on consumers’ behaviour and knowledge. They estimated that 48 % of consumers knew the regulations for organic products and that 52 % didn’t. Organic cultivation is mostly a system but often – and maybe too often – described in the simple way that it is “chemical-free”. The complex processes involved have not been brought to consumers’ attention enough so far due to a lack of a proper communication campaign, for example. Still, the fact that 48 % of consumers knew about the principles of organics now gives hope for the future. In 2007, only 29 % knew about organic regulations, and only 16 % were aware of them in 2000.
 

Regulations of organics were considered to be too complex by 22 % of the surveyed, not homogeneous by 16 %, and 62 % of the surveyed said that information was insufficient. As seen in other areas of the survey, complex information on organics is still not adequately available, which makes an approach to potential customers quite difficult. At this point of time it is estimated that in Italy there is about one million permanent organic consumers, representing about 1.5 to 2 % of the buyers in the national food products sector.
 

64 % of the surveyed stated that they had a good knowledge of the control and certification system, and 36 % said they didn’t. Not much change was seen here since last year. In the first edition of the survey, however, only 34 % of the interviewees considered their knowledge to be well.
 

Questions regarding the principles of organic products were answered as follows:

• No chemicals are applied on organic products: 43 %
• Organic products help to save the environment: 28 %
• The nutritional value of organic products is higher than in conventional products: 6 %
• Organic products do not contain GMOs: 21 %

While the first two factors have been important for many years, the subject of GMOs has gained importance. Still, the percentage is not as high as in other countries. Another surprising factor is that organics are not known for their higher nutritional value.
 

Organic products were mainly sold through specialized stores (51 %) and in large supermarket chains (38 %). Franchising chains had a share of 11 %. GDOs (large supermarket chains) have entered into the organic sector during the last years, and intense activities were observed in the sector of private label products. New distribution channels and new organisation structures like direct sales and buying groups have helped the market to develop after 2000.
 

Interviewees were asked how frequent customers bought organic products. 37 % replied that they did not know, 33 % said once a week, 17 % stated once in a fortnight, and 13 % said once a month. The number of frequent buyers has risen by 3 % since 2005.
 

Information appears to be the main topic to increase business activities. When questioned about the most convincing sales argument for organic products, 44 % of the surveyed said it was information. The fact that prices had been decreasing, giving consumers the feeling that the premium was worth to pay, was stated at 27 %. For many years, consumers had felt the prices for organics did not match the value of the products, but this had been changing since 2000. To state that the range was important and that organic products had a higher quality seemed to be important to 9 % respectively. Another point was the better service (6 %). Further 6 % of the surveyed named other reasons.
 

Interviewees were also asked to estimate what would happen to the market for organic products in Italy within the next five years. 45 % of the surveyed predicted a moderate development, 32 % estimated the market to be static, 12 % said it would decrease and 11 % said development would be high. One of the most remarkable changes can be seen in the estimate of the last opinion. In 2001, the year which was considered to be an excellent one for the sector, 50 % of the respondents had stated that they expected a high development.

As the most important weak points for the market, 44 % of the surveyed stated that organic products were expensive and 25 % said that the offer was still restricted. To 11 % it seemed negative that products could only be kept for a limited time. 5 % said organic sere just fashionable, and 5 % said there were no weak points.
 

Compared with conventional products organic products may cost 10 % more (according to 50 % of the surveyed), 30 % more (43 %) or 50 % (5 %). 2 % named different percentages. The data of 2008 is similar to that of 2005, while a more significant difference is visible compared with 2000, the year in which organics began to take on the characteristics of a modern market.