Organic continues to grow. Consumption and land dedicated to organic farming are increasing throughout Europe, under the banner of health and environmental protection.
The reports from Eurostat, ISMEA and Nielsen-AssoBio, summarized below.
More organic land in Europe
According to the data published on 15.2.21 by Eurostat, the EU statistical office, the utilized agricultural area (UAA) for organic farming increased by +46% in Europe between 2012 and 2019, reaching a total of 13.8 million hectares. (1)
The largest share of land cultivated organically is in Austria, which with 25.3% of the total UAA is already in line with the targets set for 2030 in the EU strategy Farm to Fork. Also on the podium are Estonia and Sweden, with 22.3% and 20.4%, respectively.
Italy and the Czech Republic dedicate 15.2% of UAA to organic farming, followed by Latvia (14.8%) and Finland (13.5%). In other EU member states, organic area never exceeds 11%. At the bottom of the ranking are the Netherlands (3.7%), Poland (3.5%), Romania (2.9%), Bulgaria (2.3%), Ireland (1.6%) and Malta (0.5%).
ISMEA, organic is doing well in times of restrictions
In 2020, the spending on organic food products in the GDO (large-scale retail trade) in Italy grew by +4% compared to the previous year. The concentration of food consumption at home, related to Covid-19 restrictions, favored GDO sales. In this context, organic consolidated a market share of 3% of the total.
The data Released on 15.2.21 by ISMEA reporting an increase in purchases of 6% during the three weeks of year-end festivities, especially in the North (64%) and Center, where organic consumption grows more than elsewhere, +8%. (2) The most sought-after products are wine and sparkling wine (+27%), vegetables (+11%), meat (+15%). A slight decline in fruit (-2%).
Nielsen-Assobio, growth across all sales channels
The growth of organic products in 2020 is more marked in the survey on the Italian market conducted by Nielsen-AssoBio, which includes other distribution channels. (3) The overall growth is +7% compared to 2019, for a total value exceeding 4.3 billion euros.
The surveys on sales record a surge in various distribution channels:
+6.5% in supermarkets, with sales exceeding 847 million euros. The large-scale retail trade has increased private label products (private label or MDD, distributor brand) and accounts for 48.7% of total organic sales,
+1.5% in discount, for a value over 194 million euros,
+10% in specialized stores,
+150% on the channel online.
Export of Italian organic products, +8%
TheExport of Italian organic products soared. In 2020 it exceeded 2,619 million euros, +8% compared to 2019, with an incidence of 6% on total Italian agri-food exports.
Italy confirms itself as the second country worldwide for the export of organic products, after the USA. And maintains primacy in Europe.
Notes
(1) https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Organic_farming_statistics
(2) http://www.ismea.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/11361
