B.C. residents have bought into organic food in a big way, an industry association reported today.
“B.C. is far and away the leader in the country for organic buying, both on the market side and also on the consumer side,” Shauna MacKinnon, projects manager with the Canadian Organic Trade Association, told Business in Vancouver.
MacKinnon said that the association’s latest study shows B.C. residents account for 22% of Canadian organic food sales, while making up just 13% of the population. Two-thirds of British Columbians, and three-quarters of Vancouver residents, buy organic groceries every week.
The study found that B.C. baby boomers (aged 55-64) were buying the most organic food. That compares with the rest of the country, where Canadians aged 35-44 were the highest consumers.
MacKinnon said the study also showed that between 2006 and 2012, there was a 147% increase in farmer’s market sales in B.C., and that 40% of those sales were of certified organic products.
