Sales soar during Organic September
Organic sales have soared this September, growing by 7.1% in the 4 weeks to 30th September, new Nielsen Scantrack data shows.
Organic categories driving growth included produce, which increased by 7.6%, eggs (up 11.5%); cheese (+15.4%) and wine, which increased by a massive 41% as a result of organic wine being more widely available in retailers.
Meat (driven by bacon and sausages), fish and poultry was up 13.8%, indicating that consumers are taking an increased interest in animal welfare and provenance. Bacon recently featured as part of the Soil Association and tech start-up Provenance’s blockchain pilot which brought the story of organic to the forefront of shoppers’ in-store experience. Also within the meat, fish and poultry category, fish continues apace and is driven by sales of salmon and seaweed (up +51% in Sept against a continuing 52-week trend of +9.8%).
Organic consumers have been increasingly interested in organic fruit - this September, sales rose by 11.7%, with growth coming from soft fruit and apples. Butter has also experienced massive growth (up 41%).
Other categories experiencing growth included:
- Homebaking +11.6%
- Tea +23.6%
- Preserves & Spreads +26.1%, driven by nut butters
- Oils & Vinegars +18.6%
Clare McDermott, Soil Association Business Development Director, said: “We’re really pleased to see such strong growth for organic in September, which has highlighted to us that when consumers see a clear message about what it means to be organic, together with increased prominence and availability through multiples, they do buy in. The key growth areas of fresh fruit, grocery, and meat, fish and poultry, all meet shopper demands from health to food provenance, and strengthen the role that organic plays in meeting these interests.
This year’s media coverage for Organic September has doubled, showing that more people than ever are taking interest in how their food is produced. Overall, organic has really benefitted this September from joined up campaigns between the Soil Association’s Organic September and the Organic Trade Board’s Feed Your Happy, which included promotions in both Sainsbury’s and Tesco.”
Hoping to keep the momentum and build on the success of Organic September, Soil Association Certification are currently planning their Organic Christmas Campaign - click here to find out more and get involved.