The Brits are big on organic food. According to UK’s Organic Trade Board (OTB) findings, 83% of Britons buy organic food, dispelling the common belief that organic food is confined to the minority.
The OTB, a group of key organic producers, carried out research to investigate Britain’s attitude towards organic food. The research is the first part of a major generic campaign which is being planned for 2010 to make organic more accessible to the general public and drive greater general awareness of the benefits of organic food, according to Freshinfo.com.
Consumer demand and increased awareness about the benefits of organic food and farming have meant that major retailers have taken notice and organic ranges are now widely available in supermarkets, according to the OTB, which found that 64% of respondents buy organic food from supermarkets.
The report quotes a Tesco spokesman saying: “Tesco stocks more than 700 organic lines, covering 11 food and drink categories. Our largest ranges are within produce and health and beauty, which also represent the greatest proportion of our organic sales. Since summer 2009, we have seen some of our organic carrot lines nearly double their sales. Our ultimate aim is to make sure that we offer the greatest variety of organic choice across our stores.”
The OTB research found the main reasons for buying organics were its “naturalness”, restricted use of pesticides, wellbeing, environmental and wildlife reasons. Some 30% cited “better taste” as a reason to buy organics, despite Foods Standards Agency research last year which showed organics taste no better than conventional food.
