Worldwide organic food and drink sales surpassed $100 billion for the first time in 2018. New research by Ecovia Intelligence shows that global sales increased by 6 percent to $105 billion last year.
Global Organic Food & Drink Market Trends & Outlook (https://www.ecoviaint.com/global-organic-food-market-trends-outlook/), the largest markets for organic products are in North America and Europe. The combined revenue share of these two regions is 90 percent. However, a number of countries are now developing strong internal markets including China, India, and Brazil.
The United States has the largest market for organic food and drink, accounting for about 45 percent of global sales. After the U.S., Germany, France, Italy, and Canada are the next largest organic markets. Denmark has the highest market share of organic products with 14 percent of total retail sales being organic. The highest spenders of organic products are in Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, and Austria.
Rising consumer awareness of organic products and widening availability are major drivers of global growth. Distribution of organic foods is increasing in supermarkets, discounters, drugstores, pharmacies, and catering and foodservice sector. Organic ingredients are being used in a growing number of European and North American foodservice establishments. Chain restaurants, including McDonald’s and Pret A Manger, are also making commitments to organic product sourcing.
Retailer private labels are wielding great influence in the organic food industry. All leading food retailers in North America and Europe are marketing organic foods under private labels. Coop Switzerland is the most successful with its Naturaplan brand; it accounts for over 40 percent of organic food sales in the country. U.S. retailer Kroger Co. recently reported $2.3 billion sales of its Simple Truth organic and natural brand.
Taking a historical perspective, global organic sales have grown from $18 billion in 2000 to $105 billion in 2018, an astounding 483 percent growth.
