March 6/London/Soil Association -- Sales of organic food products in the U.K. fell 3.7% in 2011, the Soil Association has said, citing a lower variety of products, a lack of communication about the reasons to buy organic food and limited investment.

According to the latest organic market report by the Soil Association, Waitrose saw its organic food sales fall by 2.2%; that compares with a 9.5% drop in the combined sales of the other six leading multiple retailers.

Despite the tough environment, there are a number of U.K. organic success stories, including baby food (+6.6%); lamb (+16%); poultry (+5.8%); and cosmetics (+8.7%). Innovation in retail also has benefited the sector, with sales through box schemes, home delivery and mail order up by 7.2%.

 From the March 7, 2012, Prepared Foods' Daily News.