2Sustain

New research from IGD shows that manufacturers of organic foods have been able to hold onto a core group of shoppers, despite the downturn in the economy.

According to the IGD survey, 19% of shoppers in the UK have maintained their spending on organics. Another 9% said that they will buy more organic foods once they have more money to spend.

“There remains a strong core of dedicated organic shoppers – nearly one in five of the UK population – who are maintaining support, regardless of the economy,” Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive of the IGD, told Just-food.com (registration required). “Even better news for the organic movement is that these supporters tend to be younger and more affluent – supporting our view that the organic market is experiencing a dip rather than a collapse.”

These results complement other IGD research that found:

• 55% of shoppers would like to know more about the environmental impact of food and grocery products.

• 40% are actively interested in packaging, in particular.

• 37% think re-sealable packaging would help to reduce the amount of food they throw away – up 8% from 2007.

(I’m also reminded of an earlier post in which I discussed a Eurobarometer survey which revealed that four out of five Europeans consider the environmental impact of the products they buy.)

American consumers may have come a little late to the table, but many are now voicing similar concerns. A BBMG study released this June found that three in four U.S. consumers (77%) say they “can make a positive difference by purchasing products from socially or environmentally responsible companies.” 72% say they have “avoided purchasing products from companies whose practices I disagree with.”