Sales of organic and Fairtrade certified products continued to shine in 2020 as concerns over the climate impact of food production and the COVID-19 crisis put ethical consumerism in the spotlight.
The clean label ingredients supplier has launched a range of organic starches and proteins that add health and technical benefits to breads and cakes, as well as batters and coatings.
British farmers have taken to social media to voice concerns regarding the Soil Association’s suggestion that the government instate a ‘plant-based protein’ day in schools.
As the UK organic sector hits a record value of £2.2 billion (€2.47bn), what's the secret to its success? Six trends are influencing our food choices today - and organic fits into all of them, says the Soil Association.
Fresh produce, dairy and processed foods are fuelling organic sales in the UK, as they are tipped to exceed a record £2.2bn (€2.5bn) by the end of the year.
The US’ recent withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement has inevitable repercussions worldwide for meeting agreed environmental targets, addressing climate change and curbing emission levels.
British organic certification body, the Soil Association, has launched stricter standards for aquaculture which will also allow producers of organic seaweed to bear its logo.
A British organic dairy cooperative has broken into the one of the world’s most lucrative markets after being awarded the UK’s first licence through the Soil Association to export organic products to China.
The Soil Association is updating its organic standards to make them more practical and transparent and is calling on the public to give its opinion in an open consultation.
Consumers must pressure retailers and manufacturers to ensure bread does not contain glyphosate, says the Soil Association – but all traces are below safe limits, insists industry.
Organic sales are growing but the sector remains niche with market share in single figures, says one industry group – but innovative practice and partnerships could change this.
Subsidies have led to high rates of organic certification in Europe – while costs and confusion often prevent US organic producers from certifying their products, according to a new study.
The Soil Association calls UK public to switch to organic food through their ‘Organic September’ campaign, as it is healthier, better for the environment, nutritionally richer and sustainable, according to an expert.
The UK organic sector is showing the first signs of recovery with 0.6% sales growth after a tough slog through the recession, according to new data from Nielsen and the Soil Association.
UK year on year sales of organic food have increased for the first time since 2009, according to new figures from Kantar Worldpanel - an increase that the Soil Association has said was partly due to the horse meat scandal.
The UK organic sector is ‘cautiously optimistic’ that the market is leveling off after a year of slowing decline in sales, but much depends on consumer confidence after the government spending cuts are implemented this month.
Eight organisations from as many European countries have formally announced the creation of the Leading Organic Alliance (LOA), a grouping which will co-operate closely to push at the boundaries and definitions of what is ‘organic’.
Negative reporting of another study comparing organic and non-organic products in the UK may support the Soil Association’s belief that the sector is viewed more sceptically – by government as well as media – in Britain than in other parts of Europe.
Organic food brands are turning to sustainability in an effort to justify their price premium and combat declining sales, according to Organic Monitor.
Market research organization IGD has concluded that the organic food sector needs to do more to build consumer awareness of organics’ wider benefits to avoid losing customers to other ethical issues.
Parents are more interested in the source of ingredients in baby foods than in whether or not they are organic, according to manufacturers questioned for a new report.
FoodNavigator talks to Peter Melchett, policy director at the Soil Association, about communication efforts to help more consumers understand and engage in organics, and the all-important issue of climate change.
The Soil Association has called for broader communication of organic issues, saying that consumers are bewildered by so many ethical options and many are unaware of its wider benefits.
The UK organic sector is cheered by a 1.7 per cent increase in the market in 2008 despite the gloom of recession, as a report from the Soil Association sees consumers buying cheaper organics instead of switching back to conventional foods.
The UK’s Soil Association has decided to allow organic air freighted food to carry its certification mark, despite proposing in 2007 that it should not be certified unless it also met fair trade and ethical standards.
A Soil Association and Organix report says a loophole that allows for UK nurseries to serve up poor quality and nutritionally void food to under-2s that is banned in establishments for older kids.
Organic has an image problem. As some consumers fear they are, quite literally, priced out of the farmers market, it’s time to stir up more debate about organic as a set of principals, not as a status symbol.
UK company Ulrick & Short has received new Soil Association
accreditation for two of its products, allowing it to market these
already clean label ingredients as organic.
New UK government proposals to allow up to 0.9 per cent GM in
organic food without it being labelled threatens a highly lucrative
industry, claim campaigners.
The UK's Soil Association has questioned a BBC News survey that
claims that moves to improve the quality of meals in England has
resulted in fewer pupils taking them this term.
School fruit in the UK contains over 25 per cent more pesticides
than samples of fruit and vegetables available in shops, according
to an alarming new study.
The amount of organic land in the UK has almost doubled in the last
year, and sales of organic food are the second highest in Europe,
according to new figures from the UK organic certification body,
the Soil Association.
American scientists may well warn about the risks to human health
of reducing the levels of antibiotics in the food chain, but there
is still considerable opposition in Europe, as the UK's Soil
Association has shown this week.
The organic dairy industry - producers, processors and retailers -
must ensure that it avoids the route taken by the conventional
industry if it is to survive, delegates were told at a Soil
Association conference this week.
