From The Summer 2004 Issue of Natural Grocery Buyer

StatShots

Traveling Down the Organic Adoption Path
First area of adoption
Produce (92 percent use)
Dairy
Nondairy beverage (soy)
Baby food

Second area of adoption
Juice
Single-serve beverage
Meat/poultry
Cold cereal
Snacks (chips, pretzels)

Third area of adoption
Frozen foods
Breads (primarily artisan)
Pasta sauces, canned tomatoes, salsa

One in every 10 U.S. food dollars is spent on organic and natural foods—an increase of 72 percent over the last five years. Source: [Minneapolis-St. Paul] Star Tribune

Fourth area of adoption
Canned goods
Bulk goods

Triggers for Going Organic:

• Having children
• Family member has a health condition such as food allergies, skin disorder or cancer
• Social network influence (43 percent of users encourage others to use organic)
• Stated common sense (“If pesticides aren’t good for bugs, how can they be good for us?”)
• Saw or heard a story about food production that alarmed or frightened them

Source: The Hartman Group

Brand Selection

• Consumers adopting an organic lifestyle find it difficult to experiment with organic brands among products they already use frequently. This is largely based on children’s attachment to brands.
• Mainstream consumers are more likely to try an organic version of a trusted brand than to experiment with a brand unfamiliar to them.
• Taste experience is the main trigger of repeat purchases; if the experience is negative, consumers will return to a conventional brand.

Source: The Hartman Group

Maturity at a Critical Mass

• Shoppers over age 50 cook from scratch—and they represent 40 percent of all shoppers who do.
• The “nation” of shoppers age 50 or older winding their carts through U.S. supermarkets is roughly equivalent to the entire adult population of the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand combined.
• The 50+ shopper segment is larger than the U.S. Hispanic, African-American and Asian minority groups combined, and is growing more rapidly.
• Four million shoppers turn 50 years old each year; that’s more than the population of Los Angeles.
• The over-50 demographic enjoys 25 percent more discretionary income per capita than any other age group. This income advantage does not peak until after 65 years of age.
• The image of the shopper over age 50 as a spinster living in poverty is skewed and out-of-date. Fourteen percent of all adults in households with children are 50+. One-third of households with two or more people are 50+.

Source: Food Marketing Institute, The New England Consulting Group

Gray Hair & Grocery Carts