Sales of organic food and drink are booming in Britain, with annual sales surging above £1 billion for the first time, a statement by the pro-organic Soil Association said today.
Demand for organic baby food is particularly strong, the report said, with three out of four babies now eating organic food on a regular basis.
Organic baby food sales were up 20 per cent in the year to April, it said, while overall demand for organic food and drink jumped by more than 10 per cent to £1.015 billion.
Mr Patrick Holden, the Soil Association's director, said the organic food industry's is potentially very bright. "The market is growing and imports are down because quality and availability of home grown food is going up all the time.
"Shoppers are clearly showing that they want local food, giving a strong message to supermarkets to support this country's farmers," Mr Holden said.
Data for the Organic Food and Farming Report 2003 was collected from a range of sources, including written information from 1,500 organic licensees and telephone interviews with key players in different sectors.