I've watched a produce clerk meticulously sticker every potato on a display with a USDA Organic logo.
I've seen “check for the 9” PLU stickers.
I've seen banded, bagged, bunched, tagged and separated organic produce.
Why?
Because the first rule of organic produce for a retailer is to make sure everybody knows it's organic.
Brian Dey, senior merchandiser for Four Seasons Produce Inc., and I presented the Fresh Trends Quiz Show at the Global Organic Produce Expo last week, and we threw out a stat that might surprise some of you.
According to the 2018 Organic Fresh Trends survey, 70% of organic shoppers want their produce separated from conventional.
There are a lot of reasons a consumer might want separate organic produce:
- Mature organic shoppers don't want their organic and conventional commingling. This means if you're co-displaying on a wet rack, make sure organic is up top.
- They want to find everything they need all in one place.
- They're already committed to buying organic, so they don't need to make a comparison at the store.
If your shoppers are more entry-level organic consumers, there's a compelling reason to offer them side-by-side, so they can “trade up” when the price/condition/product is right.
However, we all know organic shoppers are less likely to support packaged produce.
That's why I'm encouraged to see some less invasive packaging concepts take hold.
At GOPEX, Jose Calderon of Farm Pak Products showed me a new sweet potato PLU sticker the company was working with that is affixed with a water-based glue. Taters get stickered when they're fresh out of the wash – a more secure method than trying to place a traditional sticker on a dry and sometimes-dusty potato.
Ashley Nickle, staff writer for The Packer, just wrote about a story about Oneonta Starr Ranch's successful debut of big, purple PLU stickers for organic apples. Those things are not likely to get overlooked by a consumer – or a cashier.
And that cashier recognition may be one of the less-talked-about, but more important factors here. Oneonta says they're getting 100% conformity on ring-through with these stickers.
Sure, we want consumers to be able to easily identify organic versus conventional bulk produce, but it's even more important for the clerks and cashiers to make sure you're getting the right ring.