The organic movement must innovate more and partner with like-minded groups if it is to break out of its niche status.
That’s the view of David Gould, North American coordinator of international organic alliance IFOAM.
Talking to Food and Drink Europe this week, Gould says that despite good market growth rates around the world, organic’s share of food and drink sales remained in single digits, often at the lower end too.
Gould says that the organic movement needs to be more innovative and develop further research evidence if it is to become “a recognized choice for attaining global ecological sustainability”.
Gould says that outreach initiatives – “reaching beyond the more ‘nuclear’ community (and) forming alliances with like minded organizations” – should be another key strategy.
This is a theme picked up on in an interview with the Soil Association chief executive, Helen Browning, in this month’s Natural Products News.
Browning comments: “We’re working hard to build partnerships, with other organic groups, but also with other organisations that are fundamentally trying to do the right thing. We might not agree on everything but actually, between us, we’re trying to tackle the big issues of the day around food, health and land use – so, we’re saying why not just forget about the little things that divide us and get on with harnessing our collective energies so we can do something really useful.”
