Organic market now worth a record £3.05 billion
A new report has shown that the organic market has seen ten years of positive growth despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit related challenges.
The study by the Soil Association found that the market grew by 5.2% in 2021, with shoppers spending almost £60 million on organic products every week. In addition, the total organic market has seen a 23% increase in just two years and is now worth a record £3.05 billion.
Soil Association certification business development director Clare McDermott said: “Despite challenges across all aspects of production, supply and the market, organic businesses have shown phenomenal resilience and responded to (continually increasing) shopper demand for products that support both health and the environment. Shoppers are increasingly looking for products that reflect their values and organic is meeting that need. ”
Online sales, including box schemes, continued to be buoyant with 13% growth in the period. When combined with supermarket home delivery sales, one in four organic products were purchased online.
The report also highlights a strong performance across all food and drink sectors including supermarkets, independent retailers and food service where there was growth of 2.4%, 9% and 3.3% respectively.
McDermott added: “The wider organic choice available online is bringing new shoppers to the category. Box scheme sales continue to be strong as shoppers look for provenance and traceability in their choices and over a fifth of organic food and drink sold through supermarkets is now online**.
“With shoppers in the UK now spending £60 million a week on organic, there is a huge opportunity for organic businesses to innovate both in channel and product and continue growing the market.”
