Finnish Organic Food Association Pro Luomu estimates that organic foods were sold at the retail level worth 312 million euro in total between 1 July 2017 and 30 June 2018. Organic sales increased by 13% compared with the same period a year earlier. The sales of the retail trade in total grew by 3.1% during the same period.
The estimate for the sales of organic products is based on figures collected by grocery shop groups. The market share of the organic products is now 2.3%. Trade experts have estimated that it will be easily to doubled or tripled, if there is a sufficient supply of organic products.
Executive Director Marja-Riitta Kottila of Pro Luomu notes that there is still plenty of growth potential.
– Organics is now interesting to the youngest members of consumer groups, so we can expect the demand to grow also in the future. Young people buy organic, in particular, for reasons of the environment and animal welfare, she explains.
The organic market in Finland has grown continuously for the whole of the 2010s. Since 2011, organic sales in retail stores have increased by about 90%. Growth has been supported by the expansion of the range of organic products.
Organics are for everyday life
The most popular organic product categories in Finland, measured in euro spent, are fruits, milk, vegetables, eggs and coffee. The most popular products are organic bananas, low-fat milk and minced meat.
The highest market shares organics hold in the product groups of vegetable oils and eggs, where the share of organics is 18-20% of the sales. Organic products also sell well in the product groups of baby foods, flakes and granules, with market shares of 13-15%.
The biggest growers were organic snack products as well as organic brewery products, juices and coffee. Food companies have brought a lot of new organic products to these product groups and they interest consumers.
– Even in small organic product groups, such as frozen foods and convenience foods showed clear growth. Stores need more organic products in bread, meat and cold cuts, Kottila points out.
More information: Executive Director Marja-Riitta Kottila, Finnish Organic Food Association Pro Luomu, tel. +358 40 581 9252
