The organic category has become staid and needs to reinvent itself, a leading consultant has claimed.
Issues such as buying local or regional produce, the environment and food miles are now more important in shoppers' minds, said Richard Walters, head of food marketing at agricultural consultants Bidwells.
"Organic is in danger of being left behind and needs to understand where it is in relation to where consumers are," he said.
Earlier this month an IGD poll revealed the number of shoppers buying organic at least once a year had fallen from 24% a year ago to 19% today.
Food price inflation and the recession were pushing floating shoppers away from the category, Walters claimed. "The purchase frequency of core shoppers has not dropped, but floaters are looking for value."
Many consumers did not even understand what organic meant, said Walters, adding that producers needed to be clearer about whether they were saying their food was more authentic, better tasting or better for you.
He also suggested the use of the word 'organic' was not helping the category, as people perceived organic food as expensive and might automatically avoid it during times of economic hardship.
There was, however, an opportunity to grow sales by taking a more targeted approach, Walters said. Young families were an ideal target group for organic food as parents of newborn children were more likely to be convinced it was healthier for their kids, he said. These people could then become lifelong organic consumers if the offer was right.
"To get organic produce to stand out on shelf, producers need to be clever, understand consumers and be deeper with their communication," he said.
The Soil Association should also take the lead in promoting organic as a more mainstream proposition, suggested Walters.
If the organic industry did not present a clear strategy, its products risked being delisted, he added.
Issues such as buying local or regional produce, the environment and food miles are now more important in shoppers' minds, said Richard Walters, head of food marketing at agricultural consultants Bidwells.
"Organic is in danger of being left behind and needs to understand where it is in relation to where consumers are," he said.
Earlier this month an IGD poll revealed the number of shoppers buying organic at least once a year had fallen from 24% a year ago to 19% today.
Food price inflation and the recession were pushing floating shoppers away from the category, Walters claimed. "The purchase frequency of core shoppers has not dropped, but floaters are looking for value."
Many consumers did not even understand what organic meant, said Walters, adding that producers needed to be clearer about whether they were saying their food was more authentic, better tasting or better for you.
He also suggested the use of the word 'organic' was not helping the category, as people perceived organic food as expensive and might automatically avoid it during times of economic hardship.
There was, however, an opportunity to grow sales by taking a more targeted approach, Walters said. Young families were an ideal target group for organic food as parents of newborn children were more likely to be convinced it was healthier for their kids, he said. These people could then become lifelong organic consumers if the offer was right.
"To get organic produce to stand out on shelf, producers need to be clever, understand consumers and be deeper with their communication," he said.
The Soil Association should also take the lead in promoting organic as a more mainstream proposition, suggested Walters.
If the organic industry did not present a clear strategy, its products risked being delisted, he added.
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