Sales of organic food see return to growth for the first time since 2010
The Bord Bia study, carried out by Ipsos MRBI, values annual retail sales of organic food at €99.1m, up from €97m last year, with almost 60% of consumers surveyed purchasing organic produce in the last six months.
Retail sales of organic food reached a record high of €106m in 2010. There are currently 1,721 registered organic operators in Ireland and over 52,000 hectares of land is being used to produce organic food.
Some 73% of current purchasers say that a ‘local organic’ product proposition would increase their interest in buying organic produce. Some 50% of all organic buyers agree that buying Irish organic food is very important to them.
More than a quarter of organic buyers said the amount of organic food they have purchased in the last year has increased, while two-thirds reported no change in consumption. Two-thirds of all organic shoppers would like to see organic ranges located in the one place in stores.
Organic purchasing remains stable amongst core shoppers over the last six years and more people are buying into the category than before. The main organic consumer is female, urban-living and from the ABC social demographic.
