From farm to fork prevails

Organic is in the ascendancy

LOCAL brands chime with customers for a number of reasons and the idyllic vision of wholesome produce is certainly one of these.

Pastoral bliss: Sales of organic produce is on the rise in Scotland according to the Soil Association, reflecting the consumer trend towards more wholesome food.

It should come as small surprise then that organic produce is on the up in Scottish stores, and food charity Soil Association reckons the proof is in the pudding of numbers that point to a bright sales future for these products.
Quoting figures from Kantar Worldpanel, the Soil Association found sales of organic produce showing 11.7% growth in Scotland, outperforming the rest of the UK.

To date, the Scottish organic market has grown more slowly than the rest of the UK according to Soil Association, but the charity’s research has found this is the second year of growth for organic.

The largest areas of growth for organic produce was in foodservice and home delivery, however independent retailers got a nose in front of the supermarkets with increased sales of 6.3% and 6.1% respectively.

Alison Muirhead, business development manager at Soil Association Scotland said: “Organic is extremely relevant for trends towards eating better food and free-from diets.

“Our changing relationship with food means consumers increasingly seek organic regularly.”