Kristin
DiMarco was heading into a Trader Joe's in West Los Angeles the other
day and knew for sure what she wouldn't be
buying: anything organic.
"I just feel like I've already built up an immunity to anything
that might be in my food," the 26-year-old told me.
Besides, she said, why would she want to pay a mark-up that can run
double or triple the cost of conventional food?
"I
don't think there's a big-enough difference in quality to justify
those prices," DiMarco said. She's not alone. The market research
firm Mintel released a study last week showing that younger consumers — the fickle Gen X and millennial crowds — are decidedly cynical about the high prices
charged for organic goods.
Only about 40% of Gen Xers believe that organic is organic, Mintel
found. And about half of all consumers think labelling something
organic is just an excuse to charge more.
"Consumers are increasingly hard-pressed to justify the added
expense," said Billy Roberts, Mintel's senior food and drink
analyst. "As such, sales have hit something of a plateau, where
they likely will remain until consumers have a clear reason to turn
to organics."
