Sales of organic food and beverages tripled in the large-scale distribution market in Italy, growing by 217% over the last decade, a study has found.
According to ISMEA’s elaborations on Nielsen data, spending on organic food products reached almost €2.5 billion in 2018, accounting for 3% of the total value of the food industry.
The figures for the first six months of 2019 indicate a 1.5% growth, a slowdown compared to previous growth rates.
It has been attributed to adverse weather conditions that limited the supply of many products.
The Driving Force
Large-scale retail trade, the driving force behind the growth of the category, saw a 5.5% growth in value in the first half of 2018, the study noted.
The channel has brought the organic sector closer to new and wider segments of consumers by offering a wide range of products at competitive prices.
In the past 10 years, companies processing and producing organic products doubled, while the space dedicated to organic products have grown by 60%.
Organic Consumption
A study by Pambianco Strategie di Impresa indicates that organic consumption grew by 14% in the first seven months of 2018 in the large-scale retail trade.
Turnover of the ten leading companies in the organic sector was over €400 million, up 1%.
It was led by Rigoni di Asiago, which generated €112.5 million.
Second in the ranking was Alce Nero, which saw a 2% year-on-year growth in turnover to €74.3 million, followed by Brio registering an 11.5% growth.
Sicilian organic nut processing company Damiano emerged in the fourth position with turnover exceeding €45 million.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
