Ökobarometer 2012: Animal welfare is one of the central motives

Organic products are becoming increasingly popular - especially among younger consumers - consumers appreciate clear information on their origin

Organic food is becoming increasingly popular, especially among younger people. This is one of the results of the new "Ökobarometer" study, which was carried out on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. 71 percent of all respondents under 30 said they bought organic products. According to this, 16 percent of them purchase organic goods either exclusively or frequently. 55 percent occasionally consume organic food - an increase of 16 percent compared to the 2010 survey. As part of the continuous representative study, a total of 2012 German citizens were asked about their consumption behavior when it came to organic food at the end of January 1.006.

Organic is trendy - at all ages

According to the results of the survey, the popularity of organic food is also growing overall, i.e. across all age groups: 76 percent of the consumers surveyed stated that they purchase organic products (exclusively: 2 percent / often: 19 percent / occasionally: 55 percent). This is 5 percent more than in 2010. Only 15 percent of all respondents do not want to buy organic products in the future either. In the last survey, this was one in five.

Information on the region of origin and producers is important to consumers

The vast majority of all respondents consider information on the packaging about the region of origin (91 percent) or the producer's address (81 percent) to be particularly helpful in order to be able to quickly identify whether a food comes from regional production when shopping. Of the respondents who stated that they were organic buyers, 90 percent would like "Fair Trade" labels to be added as additional information on organic products.

78 percent consider their own regional seal to be advantageous. As reported, Federal Minister Aigner presented initial considerations on the establishment of nationwide regional labeling on the sidelines of the "Green Week".

Animal welfare, regionality and health benefits are central motives for buying organic products

The most important reasons for buying organic food are animal welfare (94 percent), regional origin or support for regional businesses (89 percent) and low pollution (89 percent). The topic of healthy child nutrition and nutrition during pregnancy has risen in appreciation. 79 percent say they buy organic food for this reason. This is 9 percent more than in 2010.

The conventional supermarkets (84 percent) and discounters (63 percent) remain the preferred places to shop for organic products. The most popular organic foods are still eggs, fruit and vegetables, potatoes, bread products and dairy products.

A summary with all the results of the current Eco-barometer 2012 can be found [here] recall.

Source: Bonn [BLE]