“Organic as a laboratory for conventionality”?

There is an expression that comes up often: "Organic is the laboratory of conventional." We hear it in agriculture, and we also hear it in the food industry, and undoubtedly also in other sectors (cosmetics, hygiene, textiles, etc.).
Far from being pejorative, this observation actually reflects reality quite well when we consider all the "new trends", which are in fact the development of products that already existed 20, or even more than 30 years ago in organic specialty stores. Take, for example, "vegetable steaks"? Do you remember Croque-tofou? It was born in 1984 according to the history of the brand, and these vegetable patties, the first basic meal alternatives, very quickly began to be available to vary the pleasures of organic consumers. And it is easy to find many other examples in the vegetable alternatives sector. Olga, with its Sojade brand, launched the first plant-based soy desserts in 2002, then pioneered the use of hemp in 2014.
Another example is legume pasta, the early trends of which were analyzed in 2015 at Ingrébio, which is now flourishing in conventional products.¹
The organic sector has introduced Europeans to many raw materials, some of which are now grown in France: quinoa (with Ekibio), goji berry, guarana, and more recently chia seeds…
It was in organic stores that the first gluten-free products were developed, but also quite simply various snack seeds such as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or other original nuts, varying from salted roasted peanuts...
And let's not forget (lacto-)fermented products... the leading brand of lacto-fermented vegetables Nutriform was born in 1992, well before the current kimchi trend!

Today, the context of crisis is shaking up organic players. Did the strong growth of 2015-2020 slow down innovation through overconfidence?
We've been observing organic formulation trends for the past 10 years, and we can only confirm that innovation has been dynamic during this period. But have there been any real breakthrough innovations, such as plant-based desserts or gluten-free breads?

Innovation is not always where you expect it...
In recent years, innovations have not only been in formulations. They have also been in ways of doing things, in commitments, in relationships... more subtle and perhaps less striking for consumers.

In particular, we were able to observe a strong development in procurement processes. Not necessarily visible on the product, it is via the brands' websites, communications on social networks and via QR codes that we measure (new) commitments to sourcing directly from producers, or close to the company. Fair trade relations have also progressed considerably: the new labels bear witness to this.

As we often suggest, product development choices should not necessarily follow a marketing trend but should focus on the resources available for procurement, and from which a product can be created... with a story.
This could be a local resource or that of an associated supplier, even a distant one. It could be a neighbor's co-product or the production of a crop rotation from a partner producer...

This is evidenced by the new products presented at the Natexpo Awards...

Lou Prunel, Agen prune specialist, for example, looked for ways to leverage another local resource: walnuts. This results in a delicious, simple yet innovative paste, combining two key raw materials from the Southwest.
For its part, In extremis sought sources of upcycled ingredients to design a new drink: its chocolate infusion La Cabossée is formulated with 74% cocoa pods and apple pomace, sourced from French producers.

After the success of Handi-gaspi and its brand Kignon, winner of Natexpo 2022 Trophies, Agri-food upcycling is undoubtedly the breakthrough innovation of this decade.

A scientific study published in May 2023 shows that consumers are sensitive to the arguments of 'Bio +', which can be the fair sharing of value with producers, the integration of people with disabilities or the preservation of the environment.²Conducted in Southern Italy, this study concludes that consumers are willing to pay more for 'organic +' products compared to organic products without these additional ethical attributes, provided they have the knowledge to judge this.
It is therefore not enough to innovate by using the most virtuous procurement approaches... we also need to ensure that the consumer is informed and understands the additional costs generated by accepting them.

[1] Pasta is enriched with legumes, Ingrébio, 02/24/2015

[2] Rizzo, G., Testa, R., Schifani, G. et al. The Value of Organic plus. Analyzing Consumers' Preference for Additional Ethical Attributes of Organic food Products. Soc Indic Res (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-023-03123-8

— An article written by Gaëlle Fremont, Ingrébio —