Report: Shoppers Love Organic Food - Even If They Can't Tell What It Is

Now that the organic marketing concept has been around for a few generations, you'd think it would be easier to win consumers over. According to a recent survey by BFG Consulting it is. With the plethora of stores that now handle everything from organic bananas to pesticide-free, organically made canned food, today's shoppers have little problem tracking down that "back-to-basics" version in or around the produce isle.

The only thing is, do they really know what it is? Would they be able to explain what it is that makes it stand out from regularly grown food? According to BFG's research, not necessarily.

Only 20 percent of the consumers who participated in the survey could accurately tell researchers the fairly stringent requirements that define the organic food market, even though almost 70 percent of those who were surveyed said they bought organic products.

It's an interesting statistic, considering the fact that according to the USDA, organic purchases now represent 4 percent of food sales in the U.S. -- and is continuing to grow. Even more interesting is that a significant portion (93 percent) of those sales occur in supermarkets and natural food venues, where there's often plenty of dialogue about what makes organic food special. Another 7 percent of purchases occur at farmers' markets and locations where organic food is often sought out.

It also notes that organic premiums have remained high, even though the supply is much better than it was some years ago. Although that's a troubling statistic, it does corroborate BFG's finding that millennials are currently willing and able to return to the pesticide-free isle and pay more for organic foods.

And what drives their purchases is interesting as well: honesty.

"They desire honesty," notes BFG CEO Kevin Meany. "They want to believe."

Some writers have suggested that the trend to buy without knowing the product's actual source paints them as "easy to manipulate."  But as we've highlighted in other posts, the millennial crowd is anything but gullible.

Sure, marketing has gotten ahead of them. The research also showed that 72 percent of those surveyed thought the term "organic" is overused and 75 percent figured it was a marketing tool - not a way of growing and producing food.

But marketing issues are a regular problem in food production A 2013 study of Canadian consumers revealed that the term "genetically modified organism" (GMO) isn't always understood, either. Yet the majority of West Coast Canadians surveyed this summer said they would support a ban against GMO foods.

The question of whether millennial shoppers can tell an organic apple grove from a conventional one really points to two things:

1. Consumer education is a continually evolving issue. As food technology changes, customers change, and the consumer's understanding of what makes that apple unique is dependent upon what information is at hand. That's why the anti-GMO proponents continue to have an uphill battle when it comes to getting labeling legislation pushed through: They must continue to educate consumers just as hard as they advocate for legislation and consumer initiative.

2.  Consumer interest is self-generating. That's a plus for organic growers right now, because despite the plummeting stats when it comes to knowing what makes organic organic, there's still an increasing drive to purchase wholesome food and decrease additives they feel are harmful in large amounts. Both surveys suggest that consumers are willing to seek out and pay more for organic food. Whether it's because it sounds better than the stuff next to the organic isle or because they know the legislation that stands behind it are secondary issues that can be overcome by the first point, above.

Organic food producers have always known that maintaining a pesticide-free, stringently controlled market with a healthy consumer following wasn't going to be easy. Nutritionists who teach patients about healthy eating, the definition of a food pyramid and the many reasons for choosing that fresh fruit over a candy bar or a low-sugar alternative can sympathize with the marketing challenges. But maintaining an engaged consumer following takes more than putting it on the table or stacking the produce isle, and I think the organic industry knows that.

The question isn't what millennials know and can answer on a spot survey, but how the organic industry uses that information to ensure that generations of informed, educated and motivated consumers continue to grow.

Image: Joy