OTA Organic Report Spring 2022

Spring 2022 ORGANIC REPORT 28 49% 49% 36% 31% trust organic. They also suggest that there is an opportunity to move those who are in the neutral or don’t know categories toward trust by demonstrating the value of the Organic seal. The key question, of course, is how to best connect with and create trust among the neutral or uninformed. Our survey showed that only a quarter of Americans believe there is enough clear, accessible information about organic, and when asked about the best source of that information, respondents did not identify a dominant source that consumers rely on as authoritative about organic. In fact, 24% said their most prevalent source of information was friends or family, and only 11% said they relied on government sources for information on organic. While this may make it harder to target communications, it also indicates that there are opportunities to explore new avenues for connecting with and educating consumers about organic, including engaging new voices—like the Food Forwards who are eager to share their knowledge—and using a variety of channels, from earned to social media, to spread the word about the value of the Organic seal. Members of the organic community throughout the value chain, from farmers to retailers, have opportunities to examine their relationships and engage more broadly with their stakeholders to deepen stakeholders’ understanding of the fundamentals of organic and build trust. While expanded outreach on organic is important, it is also important not to lose sight of the content and the relevance of the message. As previously stated, consumer expectations continue to evolve and grow, particularly as they relate to industry’s impact on the environment, workers, and animal welfare. Our survey showed that consumers expect organic standards to evolve along with their expectations, and that the changes in those standards should reflect the latest science. As consumers learn more about the plight of workers and animals in our supply chains, organic standards, and commitments to protect both workers and animals will need to evolve with the times. And no industry will be immune from measuring and reporting their impact on climate change. Many organic practices are already responsive to these issues, but there is an expectation that organic standards will evolve to include more specific metrics in these areas. An additional challenge for the industry will be communicating not only that individual operations are held accountable on climate, labor, and animal welfare, but how those individual commitments ladder up into larger, overall contributions of the organic industry. Data & Insights IMPACT ON PURCHASE LIKELIHOOD—US GEN POP (Shown: % Top Two More Likely to Purchase) Raised without antibiotics All natural Hormone-free Grass-fed Clean Cruelty free Animal welfare approved Free-range USDA organic Packaging made with recycled materials Certified naturally grown Non-GMO project certified American humane certified Fragrance free Fair trade Vegan GOTS certified 61% 60% 60% 56% 56% 56% 55% 55% 54% 53% 53% 51% 50% PERCEPTIONS OF ORGANIC PRODUCTS AND STANDARDS— US AUDIENCES (Shown: % Top One Strongly Agree)  US Gen Pop  US Food Forward  White Americans  Asian Americans  Black Americans  Hispanic Americans There is plenty of accessible information about organic standards The information about organic standards is easy to understand 24% 22% 21% 25% 23% 43% 21% 40% 19% 17% 23% 22%

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