Organic shoppers are over-charged21 June 2000
Friends of the Earth has published a major survey of prices for organic food across Britain, which reveals wildly varying prices and evidence of possible over-charging. FOE has written to the Competition Commission urging them to investigate supermarket pricing of organic foods as part of their Inquiry into the behaviour of the retail giants.
But FOE's survey of over 90 supermarkets shows that a big shift will be needed from the major supermarkets if they are to follow Iceland's lead offering a wider variety of fair priced organic food. The price of a pint of organic milk, for example, can cost up to 18 pence more than a non-organic pint, depending on where you shop. The usual price of a non-organic pint of milk is 26p. Organic milk in Iceland costs 35p, but in Tesco and Sainsbury's it is 41p and in Marks & Spencer it is 45p. Prices vary between different branches of the same supermarket: FOE found organic milk in Safeway for 39p and 44p in different locations.
Organic food does cost more to produce and organic farmers should get a fair price. Food produced with chemical pesticides comes with hidden costs - for example consumers pay through their water bills for the cost of cleaning up the chemicals used by intensive farmers. But FOE found that in some cases supermarkets are charging the consumer double or even triple the price that the producer gets at the farm gate for organic produce. For example, milk producers get about 16p a pint for their organic milk compared to the average supermarket price of 41p.
Consumers increasingly want to buy food they can trust and this is reflected in the demand for organic food which is growing at 40 per cent a year. Friends of the Earth believes everyone should have access to organic food.
The commitment made by Iceland last week shows that retailers could choose to cut the price of organic foods. But the Government should be taking action too. Friends of the Earth, along with over 50 other organisations, including supermarkets, is supporting the Organic Food and Farming Targets Bill.
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