Sales of ethical food and drinks – including organic, Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified products – have hit GBP 8.2 bn in the UK in 2018, a report by market research company Mintel shows.
The trend is set to continue its upward trajectory, with the report predicting that organic sales would grow by 4 percent to GBP 8.6 bn by 2019. Mintel assessed that the price of ethical products remained a barrier to uptake for some consumers, with seven in ten of those surveyed saying they found it difficult to afford the products when money was tight.
Almost half of those polled said that they are loyal to brands that share their ethics and values, though the figure rose to 56 percent when including under 25s.