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...is the conclusion of a PwC study that has just been published. According to the study, 90% of consumers occasionally and 37% regularly buy organic products.
Consumption of organic products is rising steadily
The upswing for "organic" was promoted above all by the large retail chains, which now place organically produced food in their steadily growing assortment on an equal level with conventional goods.
Pure natural food shops are mostly preferred by younger consumers, while the majority buys organic food in supermarkets or discounters. Sales of organic eggs, meat and sausages have also risen steadily in the last five years, partly because buyers pay attention to the nutritional information on the labels, but also to the origin of the products.
Limited land for the farming of organic products and the risks associated with it
Organic products are generally more expensive than conventionally produced goods, which is due to the higher production costs. However, this also gives "black sheep" the idea of gaining an advantage by cheating on labels. The amount of land available for organic farming is limited. The EU's misguided agricultural subsidies, which continue to put smaller organic farmers at a disadvantage compared to large conventional agricultural giants, will not change this situation any time soon. If demand continues to rise, there will be a shortage of organic goods and the temptation to resort to illegal practices is likely to escalate internationally.
Organic customers are paying more attention to the recognised association seals (e.g. Demeter, Bioland, Naturland). But even these could be faked, of course, especially in the pandemic-related growth of online trade.
Control in the production of organic products
Today, the verification of traceability is based not only on auditing the farms and document checks, but also on special analytical procedures, with the help of which it is possible to distinguish between organic and conventional production, at least for some products, or to recognise and confirm the regional origin.
AGROLAB works with accredited laboratory partners who specialise in authenticity testing by means of stable isotope analysis and NMR fingerprinting, and is also developing its own new procedures for animal species identification and in the area of spice adulteration (dried basil), among others.
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Author: Dr. Frank Mörsberger
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