Research projects

Marketing of Organics

Contract Period : 01/06/2022 - 01/06/2024

Main Funder : John Pain

ORC Staff Contact : Rowan Dumper-Pollard

Organic veg stall at Lutterworth Farmers Market. Photo: Phil Sumption

The Marketing of Organics Project is a three-year ORC research programme, looking to identify clearer routes to growth in organic food supply chains and a better understanding of consumer perceptions of organic produce.

Project Leaders and Partners

  • ORC (project leader)
  • We are working collaboratively with many organisations to share results and reach more people

Project Aims

The project has six core objectives:

  • Learning lessons from organic sectors abroad.
  • Providing a deeper understanding of consumer perceptions of and associations with organic and sustainable food brands.
  • Identifying major barriers to buying organic and sustainable food from a consumer perspective.
  • Sharing knowledge that can unlock change in organic and sustainable value chains.
  • Highlighting points of agreement between key food system stakeholder groups.
  • Providing practical solutions to greater consumer engagement with organic and sustainable produce.

Current progress highlights

Project Update July 2023

Stakeholder Engagement Workshop held at Yeo Valley Farms – attended by OTB, Yeo Valley, Soil Association, Lucy MacLennan and John Pain – feeding into the survey design to ensure it has a relevance and use for the sector.

Project Update September 2024

UK ORGANIC and the Organic Research Centre are excited to announce the release of the much-anticipated Consumer Insights Report 2024. In a collaborative effort to support and strengthen the organic sector, both organisations have decided to make this valuable report freely available to the industry. See: https://www.organicresearchcentre.com/news-events/news/consumer-insights-report/


ORC Team involved with this project

Senior Organic Business and Markets Researcher