Organic sales slump for first time as recession takes a bite out of market

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Courtesy of guardian.co.uk

Sales of organic food, drink and other products slumped by 12.9% in the UK last year as producers battled against a downturn in consumer demand and the worst trading climate for 20 years, new figures reveal today. Cost-conscious shoppers turned their backs most decisively on organic fruit, vegetables, meat and bread, where the price differential with the non-organic equivalent has traditionally been the biggest.

Home delivery organic vegetable and fruit boxes also fell out of favour, with a 9.8% slump in sales, while sales of organic goods in supermarkets fell by 12.2%, and in the independent sector – farm shops and health food outlets – by 17.7%.

Overall, organic sales fell last year from a record high of £2.1bn in 2008 to £1.84bn, according to the Organic Market Report 2010, released at the Natural and Organic Products Europe show in London.

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