1 consumer out of 5 confuses "local" and "organic"

The American consumer seems perplexed at the terms commonly used to try to differentiate between food products.

The study conducted by three American universities has something to alert the sector (producers, distributors) on the relevance of marketing messages sent to consumers.

According to this study, 17% of respondents believe that there is no difference between "local" and terms "organic" and they are interchangeable. And 22% believe that the term "local product" applied to fruits and vegetables means not genetically modified.

The confusion seems installed at American consumers. Sales of organic products have reached the amount of  26.7 billion U.S. $ in the U.S. in 2010, according to the Organic Trade Association. Exact figures for locally grown food is harder to find, but estimates indicate that local products have recorded sales of 4.8 billion U.S. $ in 2008.

source : university of florida