The UK organic industry has now clocked up six consecutive years of growth, according to the new figures released by the Soil Association.
The 2018 Organic Market Report, launched earlier this week, shows that organic sales in 2017 grew by 6% in 2017 to £.2.2 billion, just over the 2008 pre-recession high of £2.1 billion. Organic’s share of the UK’s total food and drink market stayed at around 1.5%.
2017 saw sales of organic in independent retail grow by an impressive 9.7%, confirming a trend in recent years of smaller, specialist retailers leading the market into growth. With home delivery growing by 9.5%, almost 30% of all organic sales now take place online or on the high street. Growth in supermarket sales of organic slowed slightly from 2016’s 6.1% to 4.2%, while non organic food and grocery sales increased by just over 2%.
Clare McDermott, business development director at Soil Association Certification, said: “One of the biggest stories for organic over the past couple of years has been the rise of online shopping, and it’s a trend that shows no sign of slowing down. Driven by convenience, an ever broader range of choice, and by younger generations entering the market, it’s no surprise online sales are outperforming the traditional supermarket on organic. Online retail is also able to adapt and innovate at a faster pace than in-store, bringing new and trend-led products to market, and people are recognising that they can often find a better range online.
“As a result, home delivery already accounts for almost 13% of the organic market and the expectation is that this could reach as much as 25% in the near future. It’s a good fit for organic too: the local, fresh, farm-to-door approach of box schemes is in line with the ethos of organic and appeals to consumers who value food provenance.”
Key growth areas highlighted in the report include:
· Produce, up 6.5%, had the highest value growth, equating to over £20m in sales
· Chilled foods had impressive growth at 21%, now accounting for 3.4% of the total UK organic market
· Dairy increased sales by around 3%, and still have the highest share of the organic food and drink market at nearly 29%
· The popularity of organic wine continues to grow, with sales of beers/wines/spirits increasing by over 8% and many supermarkets expanding their ranges of wines.
Rose Price, head buyer at Ocado, said: “We know how important organic is to our customers, and that’s why we’ve spent the last year expanding our ranges of organic to meet rising demand. As a result of a recent Meet the Buyer event, we are hoping to launch over 100 new products during 2018. We see no end to the strong growth in organic, as the market has been buoyed by a new generation of shoppers looking to spend their earnings on food and drink that is not only better for them, but also for animal welfare and the environment.”
Other headlines from the report include:
· Sales of organic and natural beauty products grew by 24%, totalling £75.9million
· The organic textiles market increased sales by 25%
· Organic sales in foodservice grew by 10.2%
Main image: Planet Organic store, London.