21st century sees organic food and drink sales double

21st century sees organic food and drink sales doubleLatest research from MINTEL shows that Britain’s organic food and drink market has broken the £1 billion barrier. Indeed, market sales almost doubled (94% growth) in value between 2000 and 2005 to reach around £1.2 billion this year. What is more, just one in three (29%) British adults now say that they never buy organics, down from some 37% in 2003. MINTEL’s exclusive consumer research also shows that organics can no longer be seen as the preserve of the affluent foody. Amongst those who have purchased organic produce in the last 12 months, there is in fact surprisingly little difference between the better off ABs and those in the middle income C1 group. This is particularly true when it comes to fresh staples such as fruit (59% for ABs vs 53% for C1), vegetables (59% vs 58%), dairy (32% vs 26%) and meat (33% vs 26%).