Low Consumer Understanding of Organic

The research, carried out by MMR Research Worldwide (MMR), found that recognition levels of the Soil Association mark have dropped from 40 per cent in December 2008 to 33 per cent in the latest poll. Contrastingly, the Fairtrade symbol was recognised by 89 per cent, Recycling 72 per cent and Rainforest Alliance 47 per cent.

Only 10 per cent of the people sampled seek the Soil Association symbol when purchasing.

Andy Wardlaw, insight director at MMR Research Worldwide said, “Our figures show that the Soil Association has taken a bit of a knock in recent years, particularly among younger people. It may come as a surprise not only that organic is in the bottom half of food symbols recognised by 16 to 34 year olds but that it performs so poorly compared to the Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade symbols.

“Further probing in our research indicated that simple information about organic could have a positive impact on the way consumers feel about organic produce. We suspect that people think they know what it means but when it comes to the crunch, there is very little to draw on. Nearly three quarters of people said they would feel more positive with messaging linked to “no harmful pesticides”, “works with nature”, “animals reared humanly” or “no artificial fertilisers”.

“It would appear from this research that there are issues that consumers care about, that are not currently associated with the organic movement. This represents an opportunity to increase the relevance of organic foods and fill the void of consumer understanding. The Soil Association and brand owners alike could consider initiatives to reinforce consumer trust regarding the supply chain and quality. We recommend exploring the different facets of organic status and how they fit a particular brand’s positioning and strategy.”