Think organic and "eco-friendly" products are merely a niche market? Not so says a new report that found more Americans are concerned about the environmental and social implications of their packaged goods purchases.

The Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) surveyed 22,000 individuals on their attitudes toward organic, eco-friendly produced and packaged goods, and fair treatment of employees. About half of those surveyed took at least one of these factors into account when making a purchase, and about one-fifth of them said they were "sustainability driven," which, according to IRI, means "taking at least two sustainability factors into account when making their selections." Other findings include:

• 40 percent look for organic products;
• 25 percent considered fair trade practices when choosing a place to shop;
• 30 percent look for eco-friendly products and packaging.

IRI's report notes that a growing number of food and beverage manufacturers and retailers are responding to this demand, such as Kraft, which now supplies organic varieties of brands like Wheat Thins and Chips Ahoy. And coffee processors continue to reap huge benefits from organic and fair trade brands, with sales in these two sectors growing by a whopping 94 percent in 2007.

While it's a good thing that companies like Kraft are helping "eco-friendly" products move from the niche market into the mainstream, what they can't easily do is become more local, and local is at the heart of many current discussions involving sustainability.

Sources: Information Resources Inc. and FoodQualityNews.com

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written by christina, February 18, 2008

i really like your blog. a lot of interesting posts. also enjoy the pictures that are selected each time. nice job kiks!

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