Perish the thought – Organic market set for stunted growth

Once the darling of the supermarket shelves, organic food is set to slip down the pecking order, as cash-strapped Brits hunt down cheaper alternatives. Latest research from MINTEL finds that the organic food and drink market is now worth £1.6 billion. But as a result of the current economic climate, as many as half (48%) of all organic shoppers will reduce or even give up buying organic food in the next year alone. After 5 years impressive growth, attitudes towards organic food are clearly changing and sales are set to slacken off. The value of the market increased an average of 16% a year between 2003 and 2008, but in the coming years sales are forecast to dramatically slow and growth is unlikely to hit previous levels any time soon.