Organic Consumers Loyal to Category, Non-Buyers Uninterested

Organic Consumers Loyal to Category, Non-Buyers Uninterested

LOS ANGELES--Organic food buyers are extremelyloyal to the category and intend to keep buying, while non-buyers have virtuallyno interest in organic products, according to researched released in mid-Augustfrom ACNielsen U.S., an operating unit of ACNielsen. The study found that of theone-third of consumers who have purchased organic food or beverage products inthe past six months, 85 percent plan to continue purchasing organics. However,of the non-buyers, only 3 percent plan to buy organic products in the next sixmonths. When asked how they feel about organic products, 63 percent ofrespondents agreed that organic products are more expensive than theirmainstream counterparts. In addition 41 percent of respondents correlated"organic" with no pesticides, 26 percent with healthier, 22 percentwith non-GMO (genetically modified organisms), 14 percent with better qualityand 13 percent with less chance of food allergy.

"The high price of organics is the primary obstacle tobroader acceptance in the marketplace," said Phil Lempert, food industryanalyst and spokesperson for Consumer Pre*View, a service that utilizes theACNielsen Homescan consumer panel to analyze consumer attitudes and behavior."I expect prices to decline as more mainstream manufacturers broaden thearray of organics available to consumers, but manufacturers and retailers alsohave a significant opportunity to increase sales by clearing up consumerconfusion and providing more education about the benefits of organics."