The UK’s organic dairy sector needs to stand out more and do better at selling its credentials, senior industry figures have told The Guardian.
In a report published on Saturday, The Guardian claims that the organic dairy sector is suffering a crisis of confidence in the face of spiralling feed costs and intense competition from dairy alternatives and other initiatives.
The newspaper says retailers believe that organic milk and dairy is struggling to stand out in an increasingly crowded market. It also suggests that organic dairy is losing its points of difference in the minds of consumers as attributes previously confined to organic are offered by other value labels.
David Williams, the chief executive of the Organic Milk Suppliers Co-operative, emphasised to the newspaper that a key difference between organic systems and other schemes was its long-established standards which enshrined a commitment to protecting wildlife and the environment. But he identified a problem for organic at the point of sale, commenting: “Organic looks too much like conventional [on the shelf in its current packaging]. We should not be surprised that consumers are not so interested in paying more for it.”