“Despite 41% of consumers typically purchasing natural and 25% purchasing organic food or beverages, 35% of both natural and organic shoppers actually don’t understand the difference between natural and organic foods. Confusion and skepticism abound. Companies must not only lead with value during tight financial times, but must also help to educate and build confidence in their brands as well as in ‘organic’ more generally if they hope to rival the popularity of conventional groceries.”
– Candace Baldassarre, Research Analyst
This Report looks at the following areas:
- Conventional versus natural versus organic food and beverage purchases by category
- Changes in purchase behaviour
- Motivations for and barriers to choosing natural and organic products
- Natural and organic grocery purchase locations
- Attitudes toward natural and organic food and beverages
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Overview
- What you need to know
- This Report looks at the following areas
- Definition
- Market context
- What you need to know
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Executive Summary
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- Top takeaways
- Consumer trends
- Confusion and doubt swirl around the terms ‘natural’ and ‘organic’
- Figure 1: Barriers to natural or organic food/beverage purchase (select), 2023
- With rising costs of groceries, (natural and organic) food and beverage purchases are contentious
- Multicultural Canadians help drive demand for natural and organic
- Figure 2: “Following an organic diet is better for the environment” (% agree), by race, 2023
- Competitive strategies
- Better together: mergers and acquisitions mean grocery delivery is only getting better
- Catering to Canadians’ love affair with local
- Market predictions
- Figure 3: Category outlook: natural and organic food and drink, 2023-28
- Opportunities
- Appeal to multicultural Canadians with diverse offerings
- Avoid siloing natural and organic products from their conventional counterparts
- Clear messaging helps demystify
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Market Drivers
- Wake me up when it’s over: costs of living (and eating) remain stubbornly high
- Figure 4: Year-over-year change in the Consumer Price Index, 2020-23
- Figure 5: Top concerns over next six months (any rank), 2023
- Ongoing record-level immigration will shape the composition of Canada
- Figure 6: Top places of birth of recent Canadian immigrants, 2021
- Wildfires impact production and reignite climate change discussions
- Wake me up when it’s over: costs of living (and eating) remain stubbornly high
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Competitive Strategies and Market Opportunities
- Local over all.
- Figure 7: Food Basics Instagram post, 2023
- Figure 8: Summerhill Market Instagram post, 2023
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- Figure 9: Sheldon Creek Dairy Ghee with Turmeric (Canada), 2023
- Appeal to multicultural Canadians through flavours and preparations
- Figure 10: Kinds of food/beverages typically purchased, by race, 2023
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- Figure 11: T&T Supermarket Instagram post, 2023
- Figure 12: PC President’s Choice Plant Based Cauliflower & Chickpea Pie (Canada), 2022
- Integrate natural and organic alongside conventional products
- Figure 13: Great Value Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter with Chia Seeds and Coconut (Canada), 2023
- Figure 14: Sun-Maid Sour Watermelon Fruity Raisin Snacks (Canada), 2023
- Mergers and acquisitions mean consumers have more options
- Figure 15: Voilà Instagram post, 2023
- Figure 16: Whole Foods Instagram post, 2023
- Widespread availability of dairy and meat alternatives expands
- Figure 17: Daiya Mozza Flavour Slices (Canada), 2022
- Figure 18: Daiya White Cheddar Flavour Plant-Based Deluxe Max & Cheeze (Canada), 2023
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- Figure 19: Whole Foods Canada Instagram post, 2023
- Accessible (organic) produce should be a right
- Figure 20: About Fresh Instagram post, 2023
- Figure 21: Flipp Instagram post, 2023
- Demystifying ‘organic’ and ‘natural’
- Figure 22: Attitudes toward natural and organic food (% agree), 2023
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- Figure 23: Earth’s Own Vanilla Oat Beverage (Canada), 2023
- Local over all.
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Fast Facts – Natural and Organic Shopper
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Purchases by Product Type
- Traditional food and beverages continue far outpace their natural and organic counterparts
- Figure 24: Kinds of food/beverages typically purchased, 2021 vs 2023
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- Figure 25: If a product is labelled as all natural or organic, I am more likely to buy it (% agree), by kinds of food/beverages purchased, 2023
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- Figure 26: Kinds of food/beverages typically purchased, by area lived, 2023
- Where there’s a will there’s a way: the impact of perceived financial situation of purchasing
- Figure 27: Kinds of food/beverages typically purchased, by perceived financial status, 2023
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- Figure 28: “I have been affected by increases in food and drink prices in the last two months”, by perception of household financial status, 2023
- Younger consumers drive interest in natural and organic
- Figure 29: Kinds of food/beverages typically purchased, by age, 2023
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- Figure 30: If a product is labelled as all natural or organic, I am more likely to buy it (% agree), by age and gender, 2023
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- Figure 31: Mrs. Renfro’s Mild Salsa (US), 2023
- Parents show more interest in natural and organic
- Figure 32: Kinds of food/beverages typically purchased, overall vs parents, 2023
- Multicultural Canadians are avid natural and organic purchasers
- Figure 33: Kinds of food/beverages typically purchased, by race, 2023
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- Figure 34: If a product is labelled as all natural or organic, I am more likely to buy it (% agree), by race, 2023
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- Figure 35: Real Canadian Superstore Instagram post, 2023
- Figure 36: Kinds of food/beverages typically purchased, overall vs newer Canadians, 2023
- Multiculturalism means recognizing multilingualism
- Figure 37: Kinds of food/beverages typically purchased, overall vs Chinese-speaking consumers, 2023
- Brands still have a way to go to convince French speaking Quebecers to switch to natural and organic
- Figure 38: Kinds of food/beverages typically purchased, English vs French speaking Quebecers, 2023
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- Figure 39: Metro Instagram post, 2023
- Traditional food and beverages continue far outpace their natural and organic counterparts
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Changes in Purchase Behaviour
- People are paying more to eat
- Figure 40: Changes in food/beverage purchase behaviour, 2023
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- Figure 41: Paying more for conventional foods vs natural/organic foods, by age, 2023
- Household financial status is clearly impacting amount of organic/natural purchases
- Figure 42: Changes in organic and natural food/beverage purchase behaviour, by perceived financial status, 2023
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- Figure 43: “I am less likely to purchase natural/organic products because of rising cost of food” (% agree), by age, 2023
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- Figure 44: Changes in organic and natural food/beverage purchase behaviour, 2021 vs 2023
- Younger and middle aged men are fans of all natural
- Figure 45: Motivated to purchase natural food/beverages because they are high in quality, by age, 2023
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- Figure 46: Purchasing more “all natural” food/beverages than a year ago, by age and gender, 2023
- Dads are driving parents’ increased all natural purchases
- Figure 47: Purchasing more “all natural” food/beverages than a year ago, overall vs mothers vs fathers, 2023
- People are paying more to eat
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Product Type Purchase by Category
- Look to conventional purchasers for conversion into natural/organic purchasers
- Figure 48: Food or beverages purchased, by category and type, 2023
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- Figure 49: Organic/natural food and beverages purchased (net), by category, 2023
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- Figure 50: “I can get the same benefits of organic products in natural products while paying less of a premium” (% agree), by age, 2023
- Plant-based outliers
- Figure 51: Plant-based alternative purchase by type, by race, 2023
- Look to conventional purchasers for conversion into natural/organic purchasers
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Purchase Locations
- Traditional supermarkets lead the way
- Figure 52: Locations of natural or organic food/beverages purchase, 2023
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- Figure 53: Organic food tastes better than mainstream food (% agree), by kind of foods or beverages typically purchased, 2023
- Just send it to me!
- Figure 54: Natural or organic food/beverages typically purchased from Amazon or subscription delivery service, by workplace location , 2023
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- Figure 55: Typically purchase natural or organic food/beverages from Amazon, by age and gender, 2023
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- Figure 56: DoorDash Canada Instagram post, June 2023
- Shopping where the young, cool kids shop
- Figure 57: Locations of natural or organic food/beverages purchase, by age, 2023
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- Figure 58: “I wish more stores carried a wider selection of organic/natural foods” (% agree), by age, 2023
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- Figure 59: Locations of natural or organic food/beverages purchase, overall vs parents, 2023
- Income obviously dictates retailers frequented
- Figure 60: Locations of natural or organic food/beverages purchase, by household income, 2023
- Multi-sited multicultural purchase locations
- Figure 61: “I wish more stores carried a wider selection of organic/natural foods” (% agree), by race, 2023
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- Figure 62: Locations of natural or organic food/beverages purchase, by race, 2023
- Quebec does it differently
- Figure 63: Locations of natural or organic food/beverages purchase, English-speaking vs French-speaking Quebecers, 2023
- Traditional supermarkets lead the way
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Motivations for Natural and Organic Purchases
- Consumers seek healthier products and to avoid artificial ingredients
- Figure 64: Motivating factors for choosing natural and organic food/beverages, organic vs natural, 2023
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- Figure 65: Good Culture Whole Milk Classic Cottage Cheese (US), 2023
- Younger consumers see natural as the safe, high quality and trendy option
- Figure 66: Motivating factors for choosing natural food/beverages (select), by age, 2023
- Parents prioritize safety
- Figure 67: Sweet Nothings Squeezable Smoothie Variety Pack (US), 2022
- Buying to avoid: middle and older consumers’ motivations for buying organic
- Figure 68: Motivating factors for choosing organic food/beverages (select), by age, 2023
- Money can’t buy taste, but it can buy organic which tastes better to younger consumers
- Figure 69: Organic food tastes better than mainstream food (% agree), by age, 2023
- Different strokes for different folks: incentivizing natural and organic purchases
- Consumers seek healthier products and to avoid artificial ingredients
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Barriers to Natural and Organic Purchases
- All else pales in comparison to price…
- Figure 70: Barriers to natural or organic food/beverage purchase, 2023
- …but men and women conceptualize financial concerns differently
- Figure 71: Barriers to natural or organic food/beverage purchase (select), men vs women, 2023
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- Figure 72: “It is not in my budget” as barrier to buying natural and/or organic food, overall vs moms vs dads, 2023
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- Figure 73: Flipp Instagram post, 2023
- Consumers in ‘healthy’ financial situations doubt health claims
- Figure 74: Barriers to natural or organic food/beverage purchase (select), by perceived financial situation, 2023
- Older consumers are feeling skeptical
- Figure 75: Barriers to natural or organic food/beverage purchase, by age, 2023
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- Figure 76: “I do not trust organic claims”, by age, 2023
- Students are wishing for more widespread natural and/or organic availability
- Figure 77: Barriers to natural or organic food/beverage purchase (select), overall vs students, 2023
- Quebecers stand out
- Figure 78: Barriers to natural or organic food/beverage purchase (select), English-speaking vs French-speaking Quebecers, 2023
- All else pales in comparison to price…
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Attitudes toward Natural and Organic Food/Beverages
- Demands for accessible organic food are loud and clear
- Figure 79: Attitudes toward access to natural/organic food (% agree), by age, 2023
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- Figure 80: Attitudes toward access to natural/organic food (% agree), men vs women, 2023
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- Figure 81: Attitudes toward access to natural/organic food (% agree), by perceived financial situation, 2023
- Older consumers still need to be convinced that organic diets are better for the environment…
- Figure 82: Following an organic diet is better for the environment (% agree), by age, 2023
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- Figure 83: Canada Organic Instagram post, 2023
- …but multicultural Canadians are already sure that organic is the environmentally-friendly way
- Figure 84: “Following an organic diet is better for the environment” (% agree), by race, 2023
- Local produce is worth the extra cost
- Figure 85: “I am willing to spend more money on my fruits and vegetables if they are grown locally” (% agree), overall vs Black/African consumers, 2023
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- Figure 86: “I am willing to spend more money on my fruits and vegetables if they are grown locally” (% agree), by area lived, 2023
- ‘Natural’, ‘organic’…what’s the difference?
- Figure 87: Attitudes toward natural and organic food (% agree), 2023
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- Figure 88: “I don’t understand the difference between natural and organic foods “ (% agree), by region, 2023
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- Figure 89: “I don’t understand the difference between natural and organic foods” (% agree), overall vs South Asian consumers, 2023
- Natural seen as affordable alternative to organic
- Figure 90: Kinds of food/beverages typically purchased, by household income, 2023
- Concerns around organic products’ spoilage abound
- Figure 91: Natural/organic food and drink spoil quicker than mainstream foods (% agree), by age, 2023
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- Figure 92: Natural/organic food and drink spoil quicker than mainstream foods (% agree), overall vs South Asian consumers, 2023
- Consumers look to smaller companies for authenticity
- Figure 93: “I have more trust in the authenticity of natural/organic foods from smaller companies than larger companies” foods (% agree), by age, 2023
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- Figure 94: “I have more trust in the authenticity of natural/organic foods from smaller companies than larger companies” (% agree), overall vs South Asian, 2023
- Demands for accessible organic food are loud and clear
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Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Consumer qualitative research
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
- Data sources
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