Profiling an organic shopper

We often think of organic food as expensive, as a luxury, as something associated with Whole Foods where it is difficult to walk out and not drop a couple hundred dollars. But that isn't the whole picture by any means. Studies, such as one from The Hartman Group profiling organic consumers in the U.S., or another from the Food Marketing Institute, show that income is actually fairly irrelevant amongst organic consumers. An organic shopper's median income is within $2,000 of the U.S. median income -- essentially identical. Some of this is due to increasing organic selections at traditional grocery stores. Much at the lower income levels is also due to amazing work of various non-profits that make fresh produce, including organic produce, available in low income areas traditionally overrun with fast food and convenience stores. Age is also pretty irrelevant, though elderly people are a little less likely to buy organic, and those around 30-50 are more likely. Interestingly, the so called Generation Y (18-27) are at the low end of the spectrum (only about half of them regularly buy organic). The only factor that seems to stand out is the presence of children. This is often cited as a motivational factor for people to purchase organic, or as the motivation for someone first organic purchase.

Now a few fun facts...

The vast majority of organic shoppers report choosing organic because they believe it is more nutritious (perceived "freshness" and promotion of longevity also top the list). Fruits and veggies top the list by far, but also high is dairy, and bread/cereal/pasta. Eggs are still pretty low on the list. Packaged foods (a polite way of saying processed foods) are gaining and are now 1/4 of the organic market. There is still a lot of room to grow in availability to consumers - almost a third of retail food stores still lack a single organic product. Only 19 percent of organic purchases are done at Whole Foods and other "natural and organic markets".

The long and the short of it is that over half of all U.S. shoppers regularly purchase at least some organic foods. With few exceptions, this holds true across income and age. Across the board, from rich to poor, people are choosing what is often not the cheapest, most easily accessible option. To me, this is very good news. Now I'm off to egg a McDonalds.