Thanks to our Living Earth readers, the Soil Association shopping survey has been a huge success for the third year running. Armed with pen and paper while out shopping, they have helped us shine a spotlight on supermarket sourcing – and this effort has paid great dividends. According to our results, UK sourcing of eight organic food staples grew from 76% in 2005 to 82% in 2006.

This shows that more supermarkets have a growing commitment to sourcing organic food from UK farmers and growers rather than importing food unnecessarily. Thanks to surveying supermarkets in November and December, we have a snapshot of imports for eight organic staple foods – apples, carrots, onions, potatoes, chicken, beef and lamb – which should all be in season and in plentiful supply. We received nearly 1,500 questionnaires (over 200 more than last year), so a big thank you to those who took part.

Survey success

Five supermarkets (out of eight) are sourcing over 75% of these foods from UK farmers, compared to just two when the survey started in 2003. Not only has there been an overall increase in UK sourcing to 82%, but there have also been improvements in our highlighted key areas. There are more UK organic apples and onions on sale generally, as well as beef and pork in Tesco. This shows that pressure put on supermarkets by our surveys pays off.

Boost for British pork and beef

Last year we revealed that Tesco, Asda and Morrisons were importing huge amounts of organic pork and beef, with the latter coming from as far afield as Argentina. But this year's survey shows that Tesco has been listening and is buying more organic meat from UK farmers. Its pork has risen from 58% to 74%, while beef reached 71%, compared to 52% last year. Living Earth asked Sean McCurley, who buys organic meat for Tesco, about this progress. "Our vision is to get to 100% UK sourced," says Sean.

So why is Tesco still importing over a quarter of its organic beef and pork when other retailers don't need to import any? "Demand is growing at 60% a year and there just isn't enough UK meat to keep up with it," he says. But that's not the end of the story for Sean. "We are working with the Soil Association to make sure that more farmers move to organic."

Waitrose and Sainsbury's are sourcing most of their organic pork from UK farmers and also score top marks for beef, as do Marks & Spencer. But Morrisons is only stocking a miserable 30% of British pork and beef. Although low-price retailer Asda has improved its UK beef sourcing to 74%, British organic pork has been left behind at a shocking 30%. Tesco has made progress on pork, so why can't Asda do the same? "We have been able to get access to organic beef from the UK, but we haven't had similar access to pork," says Rick Bourne, Asda's fresh produce and meat manager. "We are seeing an increased demand and awareness for organic food and, where possible, we will source from the UK. We want UK producers to come and talk to us and have a conversation with Asda."

Apples branch out

More UK-grown organic apples are on the shelves: 40% compared to just 24% in the previous year, according to our results. Last year Living Earth revealed that some supermarkets have scorned UK organic apples in favour of 'blemish-free' imports. This not only increases food miles, but it also means that many UK organic apples go to waste.

Apple orchards were once commonplace in the British Isles and people have enjoyed eating them for centuries. But imports of cheap fruit and the pressure to build on land have contributed to the 64% decline in UK commercial orchards between 1970 and 1997. So it is particularly pleasing that some supermarkets have been working with the Soil Association to widen their specifications and are now choosing more organic apples (and other fruit and vegetables) on quality rather than looks. Organic farmers do not have the range of chemical pesticides at their disposal, so their apples both taste delicious and come in different shapes, sizes and colours, defying supermarket specifications for 'cosmetic perfection'.

The story behind the simple apple shows that consumer power can help change supermarket policies for the better. While 40% may seem low compared to other food in our basket, the lack of UK organic orchards currently limits their availability. The good news is that some supermarkets have been working with researchers and growers to develop five new organic varieties, which are not only disease-resistant but very tasty too.

More orchards have begun converting to organic so in the next few years there should be even more delicious organic apples to get your teeth into.

Onions on the up

Since our first survey in November 2003, the amount of UK organic onions on sale has almost doubled – from 38% to 73%. This shows the impact that commitment from both consumers and retailers can make. Growing onions organically, without recourse to chemical fixes, can be challenging. This is particularly true in the UK where the damp and temperate climate means that onions can be prone to weeds and fungal diseases. But while this may be difficult, our survey results show it is far from impossible.

Marks & Spencer sold a higher proportion of UK onions – 92% – than any other supermarket. "We have been able to improve our performance as a result of working closely with our producers," explains Hugh Mowat, food technologist at Marks & Spencer. "The good onion harvest this year was the result of dedication from our grower in Cambridgeshire as well as good weather in the summer," he tells Living Earth. "Farming is vulnerable to weather conditions and our supply will only ever be as British as nature allows."

According to Hugh Mowat, Marks & Spencer is really pleased with the results of the Soil Association Shopping Survey. "We see this as recognition of the work we have put into sourcing as much British organic food as possible."

Asda made excellent progress too, rising to 50% from one of the lowest scores last year at just 13%. The rise of onions and apples demonstrates that technical challenges can be overcome. Once there is the will, there is no excuse to import food that can be grown here.

Top of the league

All of the supermarkets have reduced imports since our first shopping survey. Waitrose has remained at the top of the league since the survey began and is now sourcing 89% (from 86%) of its organic food from UK farmers. For the first time Marks & Spencer has come joint first following a 15% increase in its UK sourcing since our survey started, with Sainsbury's close behind at 86%.

"We are pleased with the results," says Mary Bosley, Waitrose's technical manager. "They reflect the aims of our policy to buy British as a priority."

The top three supermarkets are sourcing almost 100% of their meat from UK farms.

Sainsbury's is aiming to source 70% of its in-season organic food from the UK by next year. Our results show their organic buyers are hitting this target, and even exceeding it. "This has been in response to our customers – they want the freshest food possible" explains Ruth Bailey, organic brand manager at Sainsbury's. "Having a British sourcing policy gives customers the reassurance of knowing that their food comes from a quality source. It also helps the environment by reducing air miles."

But the picture is different for the other supermarkets, with Morrisons propping up the table with a poor 61%, just below Asda at 69% and Somerfield with 70%. The fact that over 80% of Somerfield's organic onions come from Holland is simply unacceptable. There is still room for overall improvement at the Co-op (76%) and Tesco (78%). Over 90% of all organic chicken, lamb, carrots and potatoes in our survey came from the UK. This is great news, but why can't these supermarkets do the same for other foods too?

Commitment is key to conversion

This year's survey results are particularly important because they come at a time when more people are buying organic food, and UK farmers and growers are working hard to keep up with demand. But it takes a farmer two years to convert land to organic production. This means that there may be a gap which, temporarily, imports would fill until more land is converted to organic (just under 4% of UK farmland is managed organically). So we take our hats off to those supermarkets who are encouraging more farmers to convert.

The Soil Association's latest figures show that organic food and drink sales grew by 11% in 2004, topping £1.2 billion. Reports indicate that organic sales rose even faster in 2005. This growth in demand opens up new opportunities for non-organic farmers to make the switch to organic. But with these increased sales comes greater responsibility for the supermarkets – over 60% of all organic food is sold by Tesco, Sainsbury's and Waitrose.

"We understand that many British farmers won't convert their land to organic because they do not have long-term reassurances from retailers," says Ruth Bailey from Sainsbury's. "In contrast to previous years, Sainsbury's is working to ensure that we give the farmers the commitments that they need."

Other retailers are planning ahead and working with their suppliers to ensure that more farmers convert to organic production. According to the UK's largest organic potato supplier, Greenvale AP, demand is outstripping supply. "We've sold as many UK-grown organic potatoes as we can," says spokesman Phil Britton. "We forecast that we will have to import more so we are increasing our grower base in the UK. We are encouraging non-organic growers to convert and asking existing organic growers to rent or convert more land." This temporary increase in imports is another sign that the organic market is growing, and non-organic farmers can feel confident about converting – as long as the supermarkets keep their commitment to UK sourcing.

Keep up the pressure

Despite these excellent results, we are not easing the pressure off supermarkets. Our market intelligence team continues to monitor supermarket performance; results will be published in the next Organic Market Report, in July 2006. We also meet regularly with supermarket representatives to look at ways they can improve UK sourcing.

» Detailed data - 2006 shopping survey [PDF, 66 KB]
» 2006 shopping survey as a PDF [PDF, 186 KB]
» 2005 shopping survey [PDF, 252 KB]
» 2004 shopping survey [PDF, 229 KB]