A recent study undertaken by Tesco, the U.K. supermarket giant, revealed that currently the demand for organic fruits is the highest among Britons in 10 years. While the IRI data for January 2015 shows that the demand for organic fruits in the U.K. has increased by 8 percent during the past year, sales at Tesco are twice this figure.
The supermarket chain has witnessed more than 18 percent rise in organic fruit sales during the same period, Agriland reported. The rapid growth in sales is being attributed to Tesco’s commitment to offer customers a variety of good quality organic food as well as continuous price cuts making them more affordable.
The sale of organic foods in the U.K. has almost increased by £2m, with consumers spending an additional £1.73m. In 2015, organic food market increased by 4.9pc to £1.95bn. According to figures released by an industry body, The Soil Association, the share of organic foods increased by two percent compared to the sale of other food and drink market, where the sales declined by 0.9 percent in 2015.
According to the Tesco study, the demand for fruits like bananas, citrus fruits, apples, pears mangoes and other exotic fruits, as well as soft fruits like blueberries, strawberries and raspberries has soared in the past year, The Food People reported. While strawberries, blueberries and raspberries showed 34 percent rise in demand, there was a significant rise in the sales of bananas (27 percent) mangoes and various exotic fruits (8 percent) citrus fruits (17 percent) and apples and pears (8 percent).
Compared to this, the picture was completely different during the economic slump in 2008, when most people were gave up purchasing organic foods with a view to save money on their weekly marketing. Consequently, over 120 organic food producers and retailers, counting Tesco, formed The Organic Trade Board (OTB) to promote health benefits as well as sale of organic foods.
The media outlet quoted Gareth Wilcock, Tesco fruit commercial manager, as saying that they are of the firm belief that they need to offer the customers organic produce of great quality, which is also affordable. Various agencies have attributed the resurgence of organic foods to competitive prices coupled with better availability.
