Washington, D.C. - Just who is the organic consumer?
According to the Food Marketing Institute, “Organic Shoppers May Not Be Who You Think They Are.” At least that’s the title of the organization’s new white paper.
The study, based on data in FMI’s Trends in the United States: Consumer Attitudes & the Supermarket 2001, said that while more consumers are choosing organics as they attempt to achieve more balanced health and nutrition, there are key differences between organic and non-organic shoppers.
“It seems as though people who are purchasing organics tend to be more educated, have a higher income, and tend to be more health-conscious,” said Janice Jones, FMI research director, in commenting on the study.
Findings included:
90% of organic shoppers rank high-quality fruits and vegetables as the No. 1 factor in choosing a primary grocery store, whereas 88% of non-organic shoppers chose a clean, neat store as their top factor.
- 35% of organic shoppers make more than $50,000 a year, and they spend more money on groceries -- an average of $81 a week.
- 61% of organic shoppers have some college experience, and 10% have postgraduate degrees.
- 45% of organic shoppers are women who work more than 20 hours per week. The largest percentage of these shopper (31%) are between ages 25 and 39.
- Although both organic and non-organic shoppers tended to consult newspapers and circulars before setting out on their shopping trips, 80% of non-organic shoppers cited low prices as a major factor in selecting a supermarket compared to 72% of organic shoppers.
- Organic shoppers visited an average of 2.5 grocery stores a month compared to an average of 3.1 grocery stores in a month for non-organic shoppers.
The study surveyed 1,000 men and women, 69% of whom said that their primary store offered natural or organic foods.
The East was the No. 1 area of the country for organics, with 77% of consumers surveyed there reporting that their primary stores carried organics. The West was next with 76%, following by the South with 70%, and the Midwest with 58%.
Jones said perhaps the biggest surprise she found in the study was that there was almost no difference in habits of eating in fast-food restaurants between organic and non-organic consumers.
“I might have expected that the people who purchased organic food were far less likely to eat in fast-food restaurants,” she said. “We don’t usually associate fast-food restaurants with a really healthy life-style.”
The study defined the organic shopper as someone who buys organics at least once a month.
Jones said, even though the number of organic consumers seems to be on the rise, the number of those who eat organic food exclusively “would be a very small percentage of the population.”
She said the Pacific Coast, the Northeast and college towns remain the most fertile markets for sales of organic products.
For more information about the study, contact FMI at (202) 452-8444, or visit the FMI web site a www.fmi.org.