Consumers opt for more organic

More households bought organic products in 2019, new research shows. In particular, the group of consumers who occasionally choose organic is increasingly buying an organic alternative. The higher price still appears to be an obstacle for consumers in the choice for organic.

Bionext, the chain organization for organic agriculture and food, commissioned the research on the choice for organic products. Research platform GfK asked Dutch households about their behavior and opinions and concluded that there is an increasing interest in organic foods. As many as 95.1% of households bought organic products in 2019.

Where

The vast majority (89%) buy organic products simply in the supermarket. The increase seems to be explained by the increasing range of organic products available here. Michaël Wilde, director of the sector organisation Bionext: "We see that supermarkets are including more and more organic products in their range. That's great, because in this way more people can get to know organic. The more people choose organic, they go next to the supermarket also sometimes to the specialty store."

Reasons

Only 14% of households who buy organic say they do so for image reasons. Consumers see organic products in particular as environmentally friendly (41%), animal friendly (40%) and pure, without unnecessary additives (39%).

Despite increasing sales, price remains the biggest barrier: 68% of households say they would buy organic more often if it were cheaper. The price difference between organic and non-organic is smaller than 5 years ago. At that time, organic products were on average twice as expensive as non-organic and now 1.75 times. Organic products, especially seasonal products, are now sometimes as expensive or even cheaper than A brands.

Bio good for you

'More knowledge about the benefits of organic' is the second reason for buying organic more often in the Ruigrok study. If the advantages of organic would be clearer, the choice for it would be easier. The European campaign 'Organic good for you' was created especially for this reason. On the platform content is shared about how organic food contributes to the climate, soil and animal welfare. During the Transition Weeks there are many offers, allowing consumers to 'switch to organic' for a while, to get acquainted with the organic alternative. The next Transition Weeks will take place in September 2020.

Source: Bionext