Consumers still balk at the price of organic food, a new report from YouGov SixthSense reveals. Price remains a strong deterrent, with 58% of UK consumers stating that they avoid purchasing organic foods, because of perceived high prices.
Around one in four consu-mers also abstain from eating organic because they do not believe it has any benefits over non-organic food. The report also revealed that 13% of UK consumers would only buy organic foods if they were locally sourced, while the same percentage said they would buy organic only, despite the issue of cost. Organic-only consumers were found to be predominantly affluent, Londoners, women aged 25 and over, educated, home-owners and in one-person households. Forty-two percentof consumers said they would buy more organic if they could afford it.
"There is a notable level of consumer disdain directed towards organic and those who engage in the organic lifestyle, as one in five consumers believe that organic products are used as status symbols," commented James McCoy, research director for YouGov SixthSense. "For many, organic foods occasion a feeling of insecurity with 14% of consumers saying they feel "guilty" for not buying enough organic products."
l The online survey (August 2010) was carried out on 2,168 UK adults aged 16+.
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