The appeal of organic foods continues to grow in Europe, presenting big opportunities for companies that can support this fast-rising consumer need, according to an export marketing official.
Agnes R. Legaspi, assistant director of the Export Marketing Bureau (EMB), said that more than ever, European consumers are buying into the organic trend, noting that “half of European consumers think organic is healthier.”
Legaspi said that 56 percent of French consumers buy organic food and drink products. In Spain, the percentage is 54 percent, in Poland 53 percent, Italy 49 percent, and Germany 45 percent.
“Organic food and drink products enjoy a perceived health halo amongst European consumers due to their clean label profiles,” Legaspi said during a recent presentation on exporting to Europe.
To highlight the strong growth of the organic food market in Europe, she said in 2015, about 19 percent of consumers in France were buying organic food products, but by 2017 this figure had jumped to 25 percent.
Legaspi said the world consumer market for organic food products broke $100 billion in 2018. Europe and North America represent more than 90 percent of the market, and the best-selling products are dairy products and eggs.
According to the European Commission in a market brief published in 2019, the EU is the second largest consumer of organic food in the world, with 34.3 billion Euros in retail sales in 2017 for a 37 percent global market share, behind the U.S. with 47 percent.
The largest EU markets for organic food products currently are Germany and France while demand in Denmark and Sweden is expanding substantially, it added.
Organic fresh fruit and vegetables have a sustained growth rate in Europe and consumption of organic dairy is also significant. – DTI release
April 20, 2024
