The UK’s organic sector reached its highest growth rate in 15 years after a 12.6% growth in sales in 2020, with the market now worth £2.79 billion, according to Soil Association Certification.
The results were published in the Soil Association Certification’s Organic Market Report 2021 and found that, during 2020, more than £50 million per week was spent on organic food and drink.
This is the highest year-on-year growth rate in the organic market since 2005, with a tenth consecutive year of growth. The market is on target to reach £2.9 billion by the end of 2021, according to the report.
It added that online and home delivery sales fuelled much of the growth in the organic market in 2020, with sales increasing by 36.2%, meaning this channel to market accounts for almost 25% of the total sales (supermarket online sales are included).
“Organic is now rightfully recognised as the cornerstone of a resilient food and farming system and a vital part of the solution to the climate, nature and health crises.”
Finn Cottle, trade consultant for the Soil Association Certification, said: “The unprecedented crisis of 2020 has brought immense challenges across the entire food supply chain – not least for organic businesses. So, it’s significant that in times of crisis, people are turning to organic products for the assurance of transparency, integrity and quality they provide.
“Organic is now rightfully recognised as the cornerstone of a resilient food and farming system and a vital part of the solution to the climate, nature and health crises. With people spending more time at home preparing and planning meals, many shoppers are also appreciating the incredible range of organic options that are available online.”
Laura Henderson, head of buying fresh & frozen from Ocado, added: “We saw a marked increase in the sale of our organic food and drink products at Ocado over the past year. Our new partnership with Marks & Spencer increased the number of organic products available, taking our total to more than 4,000. This is considerably more than other grocery retailers and we’re delighted to offer our customers such variety of choice – all with the effortless convenience of shopping online.”
