Regionally produced dairy products are now more popular than organic among shoppers, new research by farmer co-operative First Milk has indicated.
Many consumers are unsure of the true meaning of organic, while the 'local' message was one that people could easily understand, the study revealed.
"In many cases regional foods tick more consumer boxes than organic foods with no defined origin," said Jeff Halliwell, managing director of First Milk's cheese division. "Those we interviewed believed buying regional would support local farmers and businesses more, and that the product would taste better. They're not always sure where organic comes from."
The research, released this week, focused on women in England and Wales aged from 30 to 50. The women were all responsible for the family shop and bought from a major retailer.
The survey showed that consumers are increasingly knowledgeable about the origin of food they purchase and want to be reassured about provenance.
"Our research found that people were becoming concerned about the actions of retailers who stick a local or regional label on food without a credible story to back this up," Halliwell added.
The study showed that shoppers would only accept a regional product being sold nationally if it were firmly established in its own region first.
"Taking the Lake District Cheese Company brand we launched last November as an example, selling this cheese nationally would not be credible if we didn't first establish strong sales in Cumbria," he said.
Market research conducted by the IGD in 2006 indicated that 65% of shoppers purchased local food compared with 61% in 2005. Sales of local and regional foods were estimated at £3.97bn in 2006 and are forecast to grow 20% by 2011.
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