students + boomers = success for organic food

There are two factor of the UK’s population that nobody disputes are growing - the numbers of students and older people. This is fantastic news for the organic food industry since these two groups dominate the market for organic food. According to the Organic Trade Association, over 40% of all organic users are between 36–55 years old. Organic users are 25% more likely to have a bachelor’s or post-graduate degree.

In 2001, organic foods constituted almost $5 billion in food sales in the US. This year it is forecasted to increase to $13.4 billion, equally split between health and natural food stores and conventional stores. According to some trade estimates, the sale of organic products has increased by 20% each year since 1990. This good news needs to be kept into perspective since organic food still only represents 2% of the foods that are sold.

We know that a very high predictor of internet use is a person’s educational attainment, especially with older people. At the moment the organic industry has very little commercial visibility on the internet. Maybe this is an opportunity they are missing?