“In a time when the severity of the economy means making tough choices, it’s extremely encouraging to see consumers vote with their values by including quality organic products in their shopping carts,” said Christine Bushway, OTA’s executive director and CEO.
The finding is one of many contained in OTA’s newly released 2011 US Families’ Organic Attitudes and Beliefs Study.
“It’s clear that with more than three-quarters of US families choosing organic, this has moved way beyond a niche market,” said Bushway.
According to the study, four in 10 families indicate that they’re buying more organic products than they were a year ago. The findings are in line with those in OTA’s 2011 Organic Industry Survey, which revealed that the US organic industry grew at a rate of nearly 8% in 2010.
Fuelled by consumer choice and demand, the organic sector is one of the few components of the US economy that continues to add jobs.
Nearly half (48%) of parents surveyed revealed that their strongest motivator for buying organic is their belief that organic products ‘are healthier for me and my children’.
Other motivators for purchasing organic included concern over the effects of pesticides, hormones and antibiotics on children, and the desire to avoid highly processed or artificial ingredients.
Source: Organic Trade Association
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