In fact considering those benefits, there is nothing in any of that to be ashamed of is there? Well, the point is that personally I don’t, but I draw attention to the fact because despite reports that show growth in the market, culturally in the UK, even more so in the US (but interestingly actually less so on mainland Europe) organic food would seem to have something of an embarrassment factor for the masses.

Despite this, organic food companies seem to deliberately set their produce apart from the rest of the fare on offer in our supermarkets and food halls. It is clear from their packaging that they have done their best to make themselves attractive but if the general opinion of the average punter is to be trusted then they have also alienated themselves, becoming something for them over there, the well to do, the alternative crowd, the hippy throwbacks…but resolutely not for the everyday consumer. Read any health reports and it will be abundantly clear that organic food is a healthier option. From personal experience there is no doubt that in a taste test organic produced food will win every time, yet they still struggle in a marketplace saturated with processed food. As something of a visual communicator myself, I can’t help but wonder how much of this negative public perception is down to the food itself and how much is actually down to presentation. Could the lack of majority take-up actually be a design issue?

Branding culture dictates that a product needs to stand apart from the crowd to stand any chance of succeeding in an ultra-competitive marketplace. To break the stranglehold of processed food is a tall order and so organic food seems to have turned to graphics to help. Junk foods are so ubiquitous that organic products including have remodeled themselves as ‘authentic’, ‘wholesome’, ‘real’ and countless other applicable adjectives in order to succeed. It is noticeable that organic brands very often choose a self-consciously cool aesthetic seemingly inspired by high-end fashion, gallery culture, and the music industry. The resultant vernacular is one of contemporarised rusticity whereas processed food prefers the sheen of the plastic and modern. We must congratulate the designers for attempting a representation that is true to the stuff itself but for the average consumer, ‘normal’ food is not that which looks more earthy and natural. Based on this current appearance, one could be forgiven for thinking that organics are a new invention but of course organic food is essentially the same as has been eaten throughout human history. The point of difference today is that thoughts of sustenance have been replaced with suspicion.

Consolidating the problem is that anything organically grown is forced to have a higher price-point through the perversity of a system where certain produce is more expensive to farm than another, even though they are literally the same object. For a public suffering under recession food decisions are being made for them, but most probably societies consumption of processed food is being dictated by a force of habit built up over fifty years. For a start up organic brand their style choice becomes simple economics. Organics must target higher socio-economic grades in order to survive. They need the section of the public with more disposable income and therefore a willingness to pay the necessary higher premiums. Inherent in this market is a certain amount of aspiration and social mobility and therefore the promise of higher cultural capital offered by a stylish looking product becomes an added boon.

By promoting themselves as a lifestyle accoutrement, organic brands are alienating the very audience that they should really be trying to appeal to. The chosen solution to real foods problem is perhaps actually creating a difficulty that transcends the original. It is clear that for the health of our society the benefits of eating organic need to get to the masses but if the present choices keep on being made then this will not happen. I propose that for an organic industry that rivals or surpasses that of the processed food lines, companies need to go against established branding theory. The temptation to shout about their products must be ignored. From a pure design point of view, appearing as mundane and ordinary as a supermarket’s own brand could be the key to acceptance. It may seem a radical move but something needs to be done.

Without it the organic industry will eat itself.