The retail landscape is changing, and thus, consumer values and organic messaging are changing, too. How to best market the attributes of organic has been difficult for many years and has led to consumer confusion. Research shows that consumers have higher levels of trust for the certifications they are most familiar with, further underlining the need for a strong, unified approach to messaging the benefits of USDA organic products to consumers.

Three organic-industry advocates—the Organic Trade Association, the USDA National Organic Program, and Organically Grown Company—have created toolkits aimed at increasing consumer awareness of, and trust in, the USDA organic label and products. Read on to find how these resources could help your business thrive and which toolkit might be right for you.

For brands and retailers: Organic Trade Association (OTA) Organic Opportunity Communications Toolkit
https://ota.com/communications-toolkit-download

The OTA’s Organic Opportunity Communications Toolkit was created for brands and retailers to effectively educate on the requirements and attributes of USDA organic. It serves as a resource to help retailers and brands create new messaging opportunities to reach consumers.

The majority of consumers (60 percent) match the importance of organic with a justification for a higher price. Consumers are most familiar with, and therefore more willing to pay a premium on, products with the attributes that the organic industry has been marketing well for years like non-GMO and produced without toxic synthetic pesticides. Consumers find that single-attribute claims (like non-GMO) are easier to understand than comprehensive certifications like USDA organic. This provides an opportunity to market USDA organic products with the individual attributes that are included in the certification. With so many new certifications coming onto the scene, longevity matters, and USDA organic still rings relevant with shoppers.

Consumers find that single-attribute claims (like non-GMO) are easier to understand than comprehensive certifications like USDA organic.

For retailers: USDA National Organic Program (NOP) Organic Consumer Outreach Toolkit 
https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organic-certification/organic-basics

The USDA NOP’s newly launched Organic Consumer Outreach Toolkit provides content for retailers to use in-store. This toolkit includes consumer-facing displays, stickers, banners and more that retailers can use throughout their stores to raise consumer awareness and trust in the USDA organic label. To increase adoption, this toolkit is available for free download on their website.

The USDA NOP found that there is widespread confusion with consumers about what it means for a product to be organic. This toolkit’s goal was to make USDA organic messaging simple for consumers to understand by synthesizing the pillars of organic into four easy-to-understand categories: protected by law, inspected by experts, traced from farm to store, and shaped by public input. The toolkit provides marketing materials like stickers and banners for retail fridge and freezer doors as well as different imagery options meant to resonate with the community using them. These assets were designed to mimic in-store merchandising that consumers might be familiar with already, therefore seamlessly incorporating new education around organic.

For brands, retailers, and consumers: Organically Grown Company’s “Organic is the Answer” Open Source Toolkit
https://www.organicistheanswer.com/resources

For retailers, brands, and consumers interested in spreading the good word around USDA organic, Organically Grown Company’s “Organic is the Answer” toolkit is, quite simply, the answer. Organically Grown wanted to make it easy for people to understand that “organic is the original good for people, good for planet choice” and thus an easy way for people to shop their values.

Inspired by OTA’s Organic Opportunity Communications Toolkit, the “Organic is the Answer” campaign underlines the consumer need for help getting trusted, easy-to-understand information to prove the added value of organic is worth the cost. By using the simple rallying cry of “Organic is the Answer,” the toolkit’s main point is clearly and quickly communicated. Made free to the public, this toolkit is a growing collection of usable assets like social media posts, banners, posters, stickers, information sheets, and more for businesses, retailers, shoppers, and members of the community to use to spread the message however they see fit.

This article originally appeared on New Hope Network, an Organic Produce Network sister website. Visit the site for more trends and insights into the natural and organic products industry.