PRODUCERS and providers of organic food in Dorset are celebrating a fruitful year.

New figures collected by the Soil Association show sales of organic products increased by 4 per cent in 2014.

In the Association’s Organic Market Report, it was revealed shoppers spent an extra £1.4 million a week on organic products and the organic market exceeded £1.86 billion.

Dairy products and fresh fruit and vegetables were the most popular purchases and the trend hasn’t gone unnoticed in Dorset.

Jane and Nick Somper run Goldhill Organics, an organic food producer based in Child Okeford.

Goldhill Organics sources its produce predominantly from Gold Hill Organic Farm before delivering it straight to people’s doors.

It provides vegetable boxes in a variety of sizes and has been doing so since August 2013.

Jane, who also works at Gold Hill Organic Farm Shop, said they were seeing a growing a number of customers in both ventures.

She said: “Gold Hill Organic Farm Shop has seen a gradual steady increase in footfall in recent years and the demand has not only been for the dried groceries sold there, but in particular for the organic vegetables and fruit sold.

“We believe that consumers have had their eyes opened by the various food fraud scandals in very recent times and that they want to know where their produce is coming from and what is in it.”

The strongest market growth, according to the Soil Association, was through online shopping and box schemes, amounting to 11.7 per cent, and independent retailers, at 5.7 per cent

Jane said they decided to begin a vegetable box delivery service after receiving a substantial number of requests.

She said: “We had no idea how many people would want a box and we have been delighted to see demand grow as more and more people seek out fresh, organic and local vegetables that they can trust.”

Sue Glenn, from No. 29 Fresh Greengrocers, on Portland, said they had noticed more people asking for local and organic food.

She said: “The field we’re in, we should be making a loss before we start seeing good business but we’re doing all right.

“We just felt on Portland you have got two supermarkets but it would be nice to have something where you can get different kinds of food as well.”

Helen Browning, Soil Association chief executive, said; “Three years ago, commentators were writing off the organic market in the UK. Now, with a third year of steady growth, and against a falling overall food market, it’s clear that reports of organic food’s demise were premature to say the least.”

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