Leading Irish food brands are weathering the recession through the active support of consumers, a survey by Love Irish Food has shown.
The organisation, which promotes Irish-manufactured food items, said 75 per cent of its members have seen their sales rise since the initiative was started a year ago. For most, the increase was less than 5 per cent.
Membership has more than doubled, from 29 brands at the start to 77 now, in the space of a year, it said.
This growth has occurred despite the lack of formal commitments from some leading retailers, including the two largest Irish-owned chains, Dunnes Stores and SuperValu. Sharon Colgan, programme director of Love Irish Food, said that with the active use by producers of the organisation's logo on product packaging, retailer involvement was less critical than it had been at the start.
Over three-quarters of consumers actively seek out Irish-made alternatives when shopping, according to research carried out by the organisation.
Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith paid tribute to the organisation's work in promoting Irish-made goods at home. He told an event held to mark the first anniversary of the initiative that the Government's aim was to increase the value of Irish food exports from €8 billion at present to €12 billion by 2020.
Among the brands involved in the campaign are Avonmore, Club Orange, Flahavans and Cadbury. Some brands are owned by foreign-owned firms, but qualify because at least 80 per cent of the manufacture of the product takes place in the Republic.