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Distillation Session 2

Distillation Session 2. Consumer-facing & the Soil Association Helen Taylor, Soil Association. 3. Consumer-facing challenges. What is organic? Consumer confidence, principles & standards - protect & increase Make it global and local Slow food

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Distillation Session 2

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  1. Distillation Session 2 Consumer-facing & the Soil Association Helen Taylor, Soil Association

  2. 3. Consumer-facing challenges • What is organic? • Consumer confidence, principles & standards - protect & increase • Make it global and local • Slow food • Can the organic movement promote itself more effectively? • Joined-up thinking for organic (food & beyond) - organic development is about lifestyle

  3. What is organic - what does it mean to consumers, what should it mean? • Clear message of what organic is about needed from government & certification bodies • We have benefited from standards progressing but now they need to sit still • Organic can be a turn-off, brands have reduced prominence of the word organic • We need organic standards that meet consumer expectations but we need to educate them first • Actions: tool kit of 20 statements covering environment taste, health, animal welfare & an Organic Trade Association

  4. Consumer confidence, principles & standards - protect & increase • Conclusions • Principles should lead and dictate standards - at the moment it’s the other way around. • Is there a commercial benefit of improving standards? Only if important to consumers & communicable • Involve consumers? Its hard for consumers to find out about certification.

  5. Make it global and local • Stick to defined organic message • The movement should not become side-tracked by issues such as local • Let consumers decide on local issues • Promote message of organic in foreign countries e.g. care of farm workers • Promote organic as a global issue

  6. Slow Food • Definition: Good, clean & fair • Slow Food is about taste education • Snail logo not allowed to be used as marketing tool • You cannot just look at what is on the plate - you need to look behind the food……….. • It relates to the culture, the conversation & the producers • Slow food is taking organic back to its roots…back to taste

  7. Can the organic movement promote itself more effectively? • Current challenges: • Lack of co-ordinated marketing • Lack of clearly communicated core values • Lack of funds to take on conventional product • fragmentation of organic certification bodies • Conclusions • Needed - an industry-lead marketing body to create a clear theme that can be easily communicated • Funding t.b.a. - a significant increase on current funding required

  8. Joined-up thinking for organic (food & beyond)organic development is about lifestyle • Needed - more education to the consumer about what organic • means beyond food e.g. organic beauty & textiles • Need to understand motivation for purchase - is it different to food? • Awareness of SA logo is low in textiles & cosmetics • Customer targeting - young families, pregnant women • Campaign - would you eat your beauty products? • Establish a trade organisation

  9. 4. The Soil Association……. Running theme throughout the majority of sessions challenging the role of the Soil Association………...

  10. The Soil Association…….. • SA weak in endorsing organic rationale to consumers & retailers • SA logo - how important is it? e.g. multiple retailers moving from front of pack • Organic is organic is organic? Should consumers have to differentiate between different organic standards? • Desire for somebody to co-ordinate communication to retailers & consumers - should it be the SA (opinions differed) • Could increase fee charged for certification if ring-fenced as marketing fund e.g closer to Fairtrade certification charges

  11. Soil Association………... • Contrasting symbol recognition with the Fairtrade logo - where no other logo competes - should there be one generic logo? • Should the Soil Association re-brand? e.g. The Organic Association • Should the SA tighten standards to make their symbol mandatory on front of pack? If so, this should only be done in conjunction with a major marketing campaign around the symbol • Could the SA facilitate an independent trade body, non-SA chaired, with the remit of market development, to include scientific research needed to strengthen organic claims vs non-organic?

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