Poor old organic. The chattering classes are deserting it in droves because it's too pricy and they don't know what it stands for any more (see Focus On p57). And now it has been kicked in the proverbials by research claiming it's no healthier than standard fare (see p6).
Given nearly half of us apparently believe it is healthier a perception perpetuated by the Soil Association, which lists 'wellbeing' as the second of five reasons to choose organic news it may not be is likely to hit sales hard. I'm not entirely convinced by its claims that levels of certain nutrients are higher in organic. Why? Because I can't taste the difference. And that's the problem. Organic costs more and although there are plenty of perceived benefits, the operative word is perceived. What about the tangible benefits value for money, quality and taste? I recently stopped my organic box delivery because we were fed up with throwing out bunches of carrots because they'd wilted within a couple of days. That doesn't scream super fresh to me and they certainly didn't taste super fresh.
Organic needs to do more to help itself. Firstly, it should address the issue of freshness. Being pesticide-free is no excuse for looking crap if organic produce needs to be transported from farm to fork more quickly than standard produce because of its limited shelf life, then that's what the industry must do.
Secondly, it needs to simplify or at least clarify its message in the same way Fairtrade has done five reasons to choose organic is four too many. And thirdly, there's the issue of price. Organic still commands a hefty premium and with healthiness, one of its strongest USPs, now under attack, that expense looks less and less justified. If it can't bring the price down, it needs to give consumers a more compelling reason to pay more.
The Soil Association had better get its act together and soon or the category will prove, as Bob Farrand succinctly put it this week, nothing more than a "metropolitan, middle-class fad".
Given nearly half of us apparently believe it is healthier a perception perpetuated by the Soil Association, which lists 'wellbeing' as the second of five reasons to choose organic news it may not be is likely to hit sales hard. I'm not entirely convinced by its claims that levels of certain nutrients are higher in organic. Why? Because I can't taste the difference. And that's the problem. Organic costs more and although there are plenty of perceived benefits, the operative word is perceived. What about the tangible benefits value for money, quality and taste? I recently stopped my organic box delivery because we were fed up with throwing out bunches of carrots because they'd wilted within a couple of days. That doesn't scream super fresh to me and they certainly didn't taste super fresh.
Organic needs to do more to help itself. Firstly, it should address the issue of freshness. Being pesticide-free is no excuse for looking crap if organic produce needs to be transported from farm to fork more quickly than standard produce because of its limited shelf life, then that's what the industry must do.
Secondly, it needs to simplify or at least clarify its message in the same way Fairtrade has done five reasons to choose organic is four too many. And thirdly, there's the issue of price. Organic still commands a hefty premium and with healthiness, one of its strongest USPs, now under attack, that expense looks less and less justified. If it can't bring the price down, it needs to give consumers a more compelling reason to pay more.
The Soil Association had better get its act together and soon or the category will prove, as Bob Farrand succinctly put it this week, nothing more than a "metropolitan, middle-class fad".
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