The Soil Association has announced new sales figures that show the organic market has grown for the seventh consecutive year. This is supported by the latest Nielsen Scantrack data sales figures that show an overall sales growth of 4% for the 52 weeks to June 30, 2018.
The Soil Association also carried out research that found several key factors have bolstered continued growth in the organic market, with ‘healthiness’ and ‘taste & inspiration’ growing in importance to consumers.
Dramatic growth in organic sales include:
- Delicatessen up 27.8% YOY, while beer, wine and spirits are up 8.7%
- Canned and packaged goods up 6.6%, with meat, fish and poultry sales also rising, with an increase of 5.6%
- Overall, sales of organic produce (+5.3%) and organic dairy (+3.5%) continue to grow ahead of non-organic
The Association believes the findings show that consumers are increasingly looking to organic as a signifier of health, particularly among younger demographics.
To meet growing demand, a raft of new products has come to market in recent months. Over 3,000 new organic products and producers received Soil Association Certification last year.
Big brands have also entered the market, including Red Bull’s Organics range, Babybel introducing organic cheese, and the launch of Honest’s Kids Organic Juice range, owned by Coca-Cola.
