Buoyant growth in sales of organic food in Britain is expected to continue for the next five years, boosted by food safety concerns and perceived superior taste, analyst Datamonitor said yesterday.

Datamonitor forecast the UK market for organic food would rise to nearly £2.7 billion by 2010, up almost 69 per cent from 1.6 billion in 2005.

"Concerns over food safety, health and perceived superior taste are the core motivations for buying organics," said Datamonitor analyst Daniel Bone.

"Environmental and ethical concerns obviously influence consumers but buying organic is not typically an altruistic act," Bone said.

Datamonitor said a survey showed that European and US consumers considered eating fresh products as the most important route to healthy eating.

"Freshness is not just associated with healthy eating but also with enhanced sensory quality and therefore superior enjoyment," Bone said.

"This is a refreshing change in today's environment when the marketing of low fat, low salt, zero calorie options have perpetuated a slightly negative message about eating and drinking," he added.

Bone said that fresh, unprocessed or minimally-processed foods had the potential to be the next major growth area.