Soil Association Certification is supporting all organic businesses this Christmas with their online Organic Collective Christmas marketplace: www.soilassociation.org/christmas.
Featuring organic products ranging from turkeys, veg boxes, gifts, spirits and chocolates, together with a range of Christmas essentials, the Soil Association is helping consumers find, try and buy all they need for an organic Christmas.
Following the success of Organic September, which saw the organic market grow by 7.1% in the 30 days of September, up from an average of 4.2% to the end of August 2017 (Nielsen Scantrack), the Organic Collective marketplace gives all Soil Association Certification licensees a platform to showcase their products, driving further traffic to websites and retail outlets, increasing sales of organic over the Christmas period.
Clare McDermott, Business Development Director said, “We want to continue to reinforce the positive messaging around organic especially at this key time of Christmas when shoppers are thinking more about where their food comes from.
'Organic is food as it should be, and means fewer pesticides, no GM ingredients, no routine use of antibiotics, always free range and no artificial colours or preservatives.”
“As well as getting consumers to find everything to be inspired about organic in the Christmas hub, we are also encouraging consumers to visit their local independent organic retailer, try a box scheme or visit a Farm Shop and will be producing point-of-sale materials to assist retailers in highlighting and celebrating their organic products this Christmas season.”
Areas of key growth this Organic September included:
· Cheese +15.4%
· Wine +41%
· Eggs + 11.5%
· Organic fruit +11.7%
· Butter + 41%
· Meat, fish and poultry + 13.8%, indicating that consumers are taking an increased interest in animal welfare and provenance of food.
Key categories for organic around Christmas in 2016 reflect the season of celebration and include cream, chocolate, preserves and spreads, wine, sparkling wine and spirits, which all performed better around Christmas than their trend for the rest of the year (Nielsen Scantrack). Soil Association Certification expects to see repeated support for these areas and increased interest in others, as shoppers continue to seek out healthy food and prioritise traceability in food sourcing, and new and innovative products continue to fuel the organic sector.
The Organic Trade Board is also highlighting Organic at Christmas as part of the Feed Your Happy Campaign. This campaign focuses on produce and includes an online and out-of-home advertising campaign.