The French continue to reduce their purchases of organic products. After the sudden halt at the end of 2021 and the sharp slowdown in 2022, the downward trend has continued since the beginning of 2023. Between January and July, sales of foodstuffs produced without chemical fertilizers or synthetic pesticides plunged by 13% in volume terms in supermarkets, according to the Circana institute. The decline in value was limited to 2%. Unsurprisingly, this market is suffering from the choices of French consumers, faced with unprecedented inflation.

With food prices soaring on supermarket shelves this summer − with a 20% increase over two years − customers are trying to cut down on their spending. The move down-market is clear. While store-brand and off-brand products are gaining market share, the white leaf on a green background (representing organic produce) is becoming less popular. As a result, in 2022, the share of organic produce in the French diet fell from 6.4% to 6%, and the negative trend is expected to continue.

However, the search for the lowest price is not the only reason. "Inflation is a good thing," said Laure Verdeau, director of Agence Bio, a public body responsible for coordinating the organic ecosystem. Referring to "the affluent classes who have the means and have turned away from organic," she points to deeper reasons, namely that "mistrust and ignorance have taken root in the minds of consumers."

"We are suffering cruelly from this long-term inflationary trend. It has a strong psychological impact. People are turning away from organic products because of their reputation for high prices. Some producers no longer display the logo to avoid scaring customers away," said Philippe Camburet, president of the French National Federation of Organic Farming. The reputation of high prices and competition from labels with much lower ecological standards, such as the misnamed "high environmental value" or "pesticide-free," not to mention the promise of local produce or French origin, have blurred consumer perceptions.

All players in the sector agree on the need to communicate. "We need a public information campaign. We need to re-explain to them the benefits of eating organic, for their health, for the environment, for more biodiversity and less green algae," said Camburet. In 2022, the French government allocated a budget of €500,000 for the Bioréflexe advertising campaign, run by Agence Bio.

In 2023, the ministry had planned to devote some €750,000 to the project. In the end, it decided to top up the budget by a further €500,000 and to release €3 million from the France 2030 plan for a new communications campaign. "We have no news of the announced advertising budget of €3 million, and the additional €500,000 will only come in 2024. We're going to launch the second phase of the Bioréflexe campaign at the end of September, but we don't have enough resources to communicate effectively. Even though it's urgent," Verdeau explained.

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