Some Continue Supporting Organics, Others Not
For those familiar with European food shopping, attitudes that differ from those of American consumers are not altogether surprising. Puzzling maybe but not surprising.
Two articles on just-food.com recently addressed differing attitudes in France and Italy, however. Traditional shopping and eating patterns in Europe haven't varied widely but on the issue of organics, there does seem to be some divergence.
In Italy, just-food reports, "growth almost halved last year," presumably influenced by the economy. Italian agricultural organization ISMEA and market researchers Nielsen found that "purchases of packaged organic food increased by 5.4 percent in value during 2008, down from 2007's growth rate of 10.2 percent." In spite of that, a spokesman explained, "The sector still outpaced the overall grocery sector ... We are encouraged by the resilience demonstrated in organic purchasing." Among the evidence quoted was growth of 20 percent, 16 percent and 14 percent respectively for organic fruit and vegetables, children's products and bread, pasta, rice and eggs.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Agence Bio said French shoppers intended to continue buying organic. Their survey looked at the attitudes of shoppers who already buy organic, finding that 74 percent of respondents said they would maintain or increase organic purchases in the next six months. Growth has slowed here, too, at least partially because of higher prices but the spokesperson said that there is still hope for increased sales this year.
Of course there is always the potential difference between what people say and what they do. Other differences in attitude may be attributable to differences in definition (and enforcement) as well as reasons. While there has never been conclusive evidence that organic food is healthier, to many people this is less important than their preference to avoid methods of mass production and the pesticides that are essential for intensive farming. There are also wide differences between American consumers and others on issues of price vs. (perceived) quality. Not to mention differences in when, where and how people shop, cook and eat. All of which contributes to opportunities for manufacturers and retailers to continue growing their bottom line as well as their product line to varying degrees according to their markets.
Discussion question: Can you see any obvious reasons why consumers in some countries will continue buying organics while others cut back?
[Author's commentary] Hopefully we can discuss this in terms of cultural differences rather than pro- and anti-organics fans sneering at one another. Wouldn't it be nice to think the marketplace is big enough to support all preferences and the businesses that supply them?