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Percentage of Consumers Buying Organic Holds Steady

Study shows shifts in where they buy.

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By: TOM BRANNA

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For the third straight year, the percentage of U.S. consumers purchasing organic products has held steady in the 38-39% range, according to Shelton, CT-based marketing research and consulting company, TABS Group, Inc. And while there has been no growth in the buyer count of organic products since last year, there was a considerable shift in outlet patterns towards mass market and away from natural foods.


According to TABS, there were big shifts in the outlets where consumers report that they purchase these products most often. The big winners were traditional grocers (41.0% to 44.1%) and Target (1.8% to 4.1%), while the losers were Walmart (18.6% to 12.4%), Trader Joe’s (11.5% to 10.7%) and other natural foods (6.2% to 4.6%).

While food represents the bulk of the organic purchases made by consumers—for example, fresh fruits alone continue to be the highest penetration category for organics at 27% of consumers—skin care and hair care were the only two categories that registered consecutive years of annual gains. Skin care came in at 7%, hair care at 5% and cosmetics at 3%, according to the company.

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