Sales of organic food in Denmark grew 31% in 2017 to claim a 13.3% share of total food and drink sales in the country.
The performance has helped the Danish organic sector reach an “extraordinary tipping point”, says Organic Denmark, which revealed the figures this week.
Latest market data shows that more than half of the Danes – 51.4% – bought organic food every single week.
“We knew we had passed the 10 percent line, but a 13.3 percent organic market share is completely amazing”
“We knew we had passed the 10 percent line, but a 13.3 percent organic market share is completely amazing, and we are over the moon about this jump. The new figures are a solid indication that organics in Denmark has become mainstream and to a large extend appeals to every Dane. The Danish consumers are conscious that they can affect the food production through their shopping habits, says Pernille Bundgård, international market director in Organic Denmark.
The average annual organic consumption per Dane is now €335. The largest growth is in organic fruit and vegetables, meat, chicken and seafood.
Another development that underlines the Danes’ dedication to organic products is that many products have now achieved a very high organic market share. For example, organic oatmeal has now outpaced conventional oatmeal and today more or less all baby food that the Danish consumers buy is organic.
Carrots, yogurt, bananas, eggs, pasta and flour are also well on their way up, says Pernille Bundgård, who points out that more Danish grocery stores are choosing to sell solely organic variants of certain products.
Danish farmers are clearly listening to the increasing demand. Approximately 1,000 farmers are now either brand new as organic farmers or they are about to convert to organic production. At the same time, the Danish organic manufactures and companies are constantly developing new and innovative organic products and on top of that, the grocery stores are also expanding their selection of organic products. Danes acknowledge this by adding even more types of organic products to their shopping baskets. Organic Denmark comments: “So, it is a self-perpetuating effect and a solid momentum in the market, which will continue to push the sale of organic products further in the years to come.”
Photo: Organic Denmark
