CHICAGO—Consumers who buy natural and organic food are staying loyal to this health-conscious category, according to a recent survey from market research firm Mintel. Nearly 40 percent of consumers claim they haven’t changed organic product purchasing habits because of the recession and only 3 percent have stopped buying organic products altogether.
“Heavy users of natural and organic food and drink are most likely to indicate they’ve traded down to less expensive organic options,” notes David Browne, senior analyst at Mintel. “However, less-frequent consumers of organic products have shown that they haven’t shifted their behavior. This is good news for the organic food and drink market, as this group may begin to buy more once recession-related fears begin to fade.”
Currently, only one-third (33 percent) of survey respondents trust the term “natural” on labels and nearly half (45 percent) trust the term “organic.” However, roughly 30 percent of respondents say they don’t know if they can trust either term.
With a slight decline in supermarket sales in 2009 (-0.3 percent), Mintel and natural products industry expert SPINS expect the organic food and drink market to recover gradually during 2010 to 2012, but not at pre-recession growth rates. Consumers have made shifts in their purchase behavior that are likely to carry on through this time period.