Sales of organic food and drink in the UK are expected to soar by almost 75 per cent over the next few years, according to a report.

Market analyst Datamonitor believes the market will grow from £940 million last year to £1.6 billion in 2007.

The rise will be driven by a growing number of "loyal users" it said.

According to Datamonitor, the number of regular organic shoppers will increase from 2.4 million in 2002 to 11.4 million in 2007.

The report said the sector's success was due to loss of trust in the food industry, awareness of food safety and methods of production.

However, it warned that future growth would held back while organic products were seen as more expensive.

Friday October 31, 2003