Only 9% of consumers actively seek out organic product claims, with organic being ranked 27th of 34 commonly ‘looked-for’ product claims by UK shoppers.

The most motivating product claims, found in the survey by MMR Research Worldwide, were ‘healthy’ and ‘low fat’, with 43% of consumers stating they actively seek out those claims when shopping for food. This is followed by ‘low in sugar’ (36%), ‘low in salt’ (34%) and ‘low in calorie’ (31%) claims.

Interestingly, 25% of consumers look for ‘locally produced’ products (the 11th most appealing product claim) and 19% – more than double the positive response to organic – cited ‘Fairtrade’ as something they looked out for. 

MD Mat Lintern said: “They find claims such as ‘healthy’, ‘natural’ and ‘free of artificial colours, flavours and preservatives’ – benefits clearly associated with organic food – up to five times as appealing. The implication for organic food brands is to introduce more of the benefits of organic into their messaging, instead of relying on organic alone.”