According to a Symphony IRI Group survey, private label products gained both market share and proportion of dollars spent in 2009. The report attributed this trend to an increased awareness of price differentials between private labels and national brands during a recessionary economy.
A similar trend of price sensitivity was observed in a Mintel survey on “green” products. Although 35% of survey respondents indicated they would pay more for items that they considered ecologically acceptable, sales of natural and organic food and beverages increased by only 1.8% in 2009, after many years of double-digit increases.
