Consumers see organic products as healthy, tasty and natural. Partly due to the increased range of organic products more organic food is purchased by customers. And the higher prices are seen as fair. These are all findings of a recent market analysis by the Austria agricultural marketing company, AMA Marketing that was held at the “Organic action days” in September.
About 8% of all the fresh produce bought (not counting bread and cakes) is organic. Organic eggs and milk followed by vegetables and potatoes are bought the most. The share of organic products such as yoghurt, butter and fruit is higher than average and organic meat, poultry and sausages as well as ham have a lower than average share.
Organic and local
The most important reason for the purchase of organic food is the desire for a healthy diet. A third of the respondents find this the most important reason. Other reasons to choose organic are farming without synthetic pesticides and the larger range of products grown locally. Every tenth respondent buys organic because they find it tastier.
Organic shoppers use labels, quality seals and the manufacturers to find the products that meet their demands. The description and the labelling are crucial. Whether a product is grown regionally or not is often mentioned as an important deciding factor.
Higher price is fair
Not only the sales, but the market analysis too, confirms the growth of the organic market. 42% of the respondents state that they currently buy more organic products than 5 years ago. The larger range is a reason to choose more often organic products for a third or the respondents. About a quarter of the respondents claims that a change in their lifestyle is the reason for the increase in organic purchasing. And one in every ten respondents states that an improvement in the financial situation is the reason that they buy more organic products.
The high prices are also mentioned as a reason to buy less organic groceries. About a third of the respondents who buy fewer organic products compared to 5 years ago aren’t sure about the traceability of organic products. Two third of the respondents find the higher prices for organic products fair. There is a correlation between the size household budget of the respondent and the likeliness to agree with this statement.
