According to the latest edition of the annual consumer survey carried out by the Eroski Foundation - part of the group which owns the retailer of the same name - the high quality and safety image associated with organic food has not been enough to generate a major lift in sales.
The survey of 5,000 consumers showed that there has been virtually no change in the number of people having tried organic food at some time. Between 2001 and 2002, the percentage of those questioned who had eaten organic products rose from 62 to 73 per cent. In 2003, the number stayed static at 72 per cent.
Perhaps surprisingly, men were shown to be more likely to eat organic food than women, with 74 per cent of the men and 70 per cent of the women questioned by the Eroski Foundation saying they had bought organic products.
Less surprising given the relatively high cost of organic food is the finding that 68 per cent of those in the lower social bracket (described lower-middle to low) had bought organic food, compared to 78 per cent in the higher bracket (so-called upper-middle to upper).
Perhaps also related to the price issue is the fact that the biggest consumers of organic food are those in the more wealthy age bracket of 31-50. In fact, some 76 per cent of those aged 31-40 said they ate organic, with the figure rising to 77 per cent for those aged 41-50. Younger consumers are least likely to eat organic - just 67 per cent of those questioned said they did - while those over 60 also eat less (70 per cent).