Italian Organic Market Continues to Grow

A further report of continued growth in the organic market in Europe. Italy saw growth of 10.5% through 2010 it is seeing continued double digit growth through the first 4 months of 2011. The star performer being dairy produce which is growing by just over 20%. The Danes reported continued growth of between 6% & 10% recently and we have had enquiries from European buyers seeking supplies as their domestic supplies are tight.

Why is the UK market so dramatically different?

Development of sales in Italy

(Source: Ismea for supermarkets sales, Assobio for other channels)

Significant growth in Italy has come from the independent and food service sectors in Italy as shown in the table above and perhaps this diversity of marketing channel provides greater robustness for the organic sector as sales volumes are less reliant upon the views or whims of a few supermarket buyers.

Recently Sainsburys have been out of stock of organic milk and sausages when I've tried to buy them and without the produce available it is buy it and so I am sure that the influence of the supermarket buyer is significant but this alone cannot be the answer. The fact that food service growth in Italy is so significant indicates to me that the Italian consumer is now expecting better quality food wherever and whenever they are eating.

Not for them the "oh well if that's all there is available" attitude but an expectation that high quality, organic food will be available and it is this consumer demand that is driving the growth they report. Perhaps then it comes back to the much lamented "lack of food culture" we have in the UK.

Perhaps this is the easy excuse. Time and again premium priced food products are being successful sold in the UK in large volumes, for example Dorset Cereals, Tyrells Crisps, Cravendale milk, Anchor butter, Premium own label sausages. The evidence indicates the consumer is not afraid of paying for food where they perceive value and yet organic is failing to persuade enough consumers it is providing very good value when one considers the multiple benefits that organic farming systems and so foods deliver.  


Currently organic delivers most of the requirements consumers have when considering ethical purchases.  It delivers lower chemical contamination, improved animal welfare and environmental enhancement and there is increasingly evidence of improved nutrition.  In some European countries organic is understood to be a "shortcut" encompassing all of these values in a world of increasingly confusing labelling of food packaging.  Rather than searching for a particular ethical criteria shoppers look for the catch-all organic label and buy this.


We need organic to be repositioned along similar lines within the UK so a whether a shopper is looking for for "high welfare", "great tasting", "improved nutrition", "less nasty chemicals" it is organic they chose to fulfil all of these aspirations and more besides.