The going gets tough for organic

Think back to June last year, when the vast organic food supermarket Whole Foods opened its first UK shop in London, and Britain seemed like a pretty different place. It was two months before the credit crunch bit, and organic food sales were rising each month, fuelled by consumers who had started to care where their food came from and how the way it was grown affected the environment. For some, eating organic had become almost a fashion statement; around the country, farmer's markets were a weekend ritual for eco-conscious shoppers, and expensive organic chains such as Fresh and Wild and Planet Organic were thriving in London and Bristol.