// Waitrose sees rise in its organic range during lockdown
// Customers became increasingly interested in animal welfare in the wake of the pandemic
Waitrose has recorded a rise in the number of shoppers seeking out organic food and drink in the wake of the Covid-19 lockdown.
The upmarket grocer said the pandemic led to a growing interest in provenance and animal welfare.
Research conducted for Waitrose by OnePoll found that searches on Google for its Waitrose Duchy Organic range almost doubled during lockdown.
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Over half of shoppers surveyed said they wanted retailers to show more information about ethical practices on packaging.
Sales of organic food and drink increased by 13 per cent during lockdown.
“For many the time at home has meant more time to prepare home-cooked meals and with that an increased awareness of where and how food comes to our kitchen tables,” Waitrose agriculture manager Rob Hues said.
“Provenance, animal welfare, taste and value have never mattered more to our shoppers and we see this increased interest only continuing.”
Organic categories seeing some of the biggest sales increases at Waitrose include chicken, vegetables and eggs.
Meanwhile, 52 bags of Waitrose Duchy Organic carrots, 34 organic blueberry punnets and 39 bags of organic bananas are now sold every hour on the retailer’s website.
Separately, Waitrose said last week that the number of UK customers opting for an online weekly grocery shop has doubled since the coronavirus lockdown, in what it described as “irreversible”.
One in four Brits now buy food and essentials at least once a week online, while more than three-quarters purchase regular household goods from supermarket websites – up from 61 per cent last year, according to a Waitrose report.
The supermarket suggested that the lockdown was the accelerator to the change in consumer habits, which are likely to have been permanently shifted.
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