Special Features - Britain turning organic?

Britain turning organic?
(05/09/07)

Stallholder in the Goods Shed, Canterbury, a farmers' market and restaurant where most of the products sold are organic. (c) Britainonview

UK annual spending on organic products has reached the £2 billion mark, according to a new report from the Soil Association (SA).

Skin cream and shampoo

And it is not just food: The Organic Market Report revealed that sales of skin cream and shampoos also rocketed over the past year.

Launched to coincide with the SA's Organic Fortnight from 1-16 September, the report records that sales through the organic box and mail order schemes and other direct routes increased from £95 million in 2005 to £146 million the following year - an enormous growth of 53 per cent .

Cotton products

Organic textiles and the booming organic health and beauty sector are also "experiencing particularly strong growth", the report says. Last year saw a 30 per cent increase in the number of health and beauty products licensed by the SA, which calculates that the UK market for organic cotton products is likely to be worth £107 million by 2008.

Mintel, who conducted the consumer research for the report, found that at least 200 natural beauty products have already been launched this year, compared with 73 during 2006.

Global sales of food and drink

Research by Organic Monitor, which specialises in monitoring the global organic and related product industries, shows that global sales of organic food and drink increased by £2.6 billion to £19.3 billion in 2006. Europe had the largest market with North America second. The UK organic market is now the third largest in Europe, after Germany and Italy.

Concern about health is one of the main reasons behind the switch to organic products. Helen Taylor, SA Marketing Director, says this is particularly the case in families with children. "It's becoming more accessible, appealing to people's tastes. There is more wariness around genetic modification and people want to support the environment. They understand more about organic farming and how it doesn't involve the use of fossil fuels."

Organic ice-cream made in Lower Slaughter, Gloucestershire. The UK organic market in food and beauty products is now the third largest in Europe. (c) Britainonview

Organic livestock

The report also found that, despite the increased sales of organic food over the past decade, some key sectors are still failing to meet demand. Organic livestock are dependent on supplies of organic feed, but the SA says that "UK self-sufficiency in organic cereals fell below 50 per cent during 2006, increasing our reliance on imported organic grains".

Other key figures from the report reveal that over the past year:

Sales of organic baby foods in the UK increased by seven per cent to nearly £78 million
The organic poultry market continues to increase - by over 39 per cent since 2005
The combined sales value of free range and organic eggs exceeded that of cage eggs for the first time
Organic milk sales have increased by nearly 20 per cent.

More information and case studies

For more details of the report and case studies of various organic producers and box schemes throughout the UK visit the SA website.

Related links

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