Home cooks are to be educated on the benefits of purchasing organic produce through the launch of a new campaign.

The Organic Trade Board (OTB) plans to spend £2 million over the course of three years to showcase the merits of such foods and why shoppers should make the substitution.

Chairman of the OTB Huw Bowles commented: " The term organic is widely misunderstood and through this campaign, we want to help consumers to discover exactly what it means and why it's worth it."

He emphasised that the purpose of the marketing drive is not to encourage dedicated organic followers to buy more, but to persuade other consumers to switch.

Figures from the Co-operative Bank's annual Ethical Consumerism Report recently showed that the number of people buying Fairtrade produce has increased, even in light of the recession.

Over the last two years, purchases have risen by 18 per cent, it reported.