The British are committed to organic—sales of organic produce in the UK were up 30% this past year and worth £1.6bn. Two thirds of all shoppers now buy some organic food. It is worth noting that half of shoppers in the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups now buy some organic produce. All of the leading supermarkets have expanded their range of organic foods—their sales accounted for £1.2bn of the total market. The growth of box schemes, supplying local produce to people’s homes, have grown in popularity so much that supermarkets are now selling their own versions of them.
But all is not perfect. According to Patrick Holden, Director of the Soil Association, “success makes us vulnerable to putting short-term profits before principles”. In the United States, there has been pressure by lobbyists to lower the definition of organic so that standards become “organic-lite”. Supermarkets, in their rush to capture the organic market, are trampling small organic producers. They have been pressuring small suppliers to switch their production to the supermarkets’ own label. The stores are having difficulty in meeting demand; organic meat is in short supply and there are fears that there will be insufficient organic milk in the winter. :: Soil Association via :: The Independent