The Soil Association announces new sales figures as the organic market continues its seventh consecutive year of growth, according to consumer research.

Consumer research undertaken by the Soil Association found several key factors have supported continued growth in the organic market.

This is supported by the latest Nielsen Scantrack data sales figures that show an overall sales growth of 4% for the 52 weeks to 30th June 2018.

The research found that ‘healthiness’ and ‘taste & inspiration’ are increasingly important to consumers.

Growth sales include organic delicatessen, including many chilled vegetarian products, up 27.8% year on year.

Organic canned and packaged goods were up 6.6%, with organic meat, fish and poultry sales also rising with an increase of 5.6% spurred on by barbeques and the hot summer weather.

Overall, reports show that sales of organic produce (+5.3%) and organic dairy (+3.5%) continue to grow ahead of the non-organic market.

Finn Cottle, trade consultant for Soil Association Certification, points to this increase in product lines, combined with changing consumer attitudes to food provenance and healthy eating, as the reasoning behind organic’s continued success.

Welcoming the figures, she urged retailers to take advantage of this market growth by continuing to list more organic products.

Cottle said: “The demand for innovative new products shows the wide appeal organic holds for health-conscious consumers who prioritise food quality, taste, and wellbeing simultaneously.

“This rising demand is a major opportunity for retailers to list new brands and products and seize the momentum surrounding organic – momentum that is showing no signs of slowing down. This summer’s results clearly show that if there is supply, demand will follow.”