Demand for organic foods is primarily driven by concerns for personal
health and for the environment.
Global sales for organic foods
climbed by more than 170 percent since 2002 reaching more than $63 billion in
2011 while certified organic farmland remained relatively small at less
than 2 percent of total farmland under production, increasing in OECD and EU
countries (which account for the majority of organic production) by 35 percent
for the same time period. Organic products typically cost 10 to 40% more
than similar conventionally produced products, to several times the price.
Processed organic foods vary in price when compared to their
conventional counterparts.
While organic food accounts for 1–2% of total
food production worldwide, the organic food sales market is growing rapidly
with between 5 and 10 percent of the food market share in the United States
according to the Organic Trade Association, significantly outpacing sales
growth volume in dollars of conventional food products. World organic food
sales jumped from US $23 billion in 2002 to $63 billion in 2011.
Asia
Production and consumption of organic products is rising rapidly in
Asia, and both China and India are becoming global producers of organic crops
and a number of countries, particularly China and Japan, also
becoming large consumers of organic food and drink. The disparity between
production and demand, is leading to a two-tier organic food industry, typified
by significant and growing imports of primary organic products such as dairy
and beef from Australia, Europe, New Zealand and the United States.
China
·
China’s domestic
organic market is the fourth largest in the world. The
Chinese Organic Food Development Center estimated domestic sales of organic food
products to be around US$500 million per annum as of 2013. This is predicted to
increase by 30 percent to 50 percent in 2014. As of 2015,
organic foods made up about 1% of the total Chinese food market.
·
China is the world’s
biggest infant formula market with $12.4 billion in sales
annually; of this, organic infant formula and baby food accounted for
approximately 5.5 per cent of sales in 2011. Australian organic infant
formula and baby food producer Bellamy's Organic have reported that their sales in this
market grew 70 per cent annually over the period 2008-2013, while Organic Dairy Farmers of Australia, reported that exports of long-life organic
milk to China had grown by 20 to 30 per cent per year over the same period.
Japan
·
In 2010, the Japanese
organic market was estimated to be around $1.3 billion.
North America
United States
Trader Joe's is a market leader of organic grocery stores in the United
States.
· In 2012 the total size of the organic food
market in the United States
was about $30 billion
(out of the total market for organic and natural consumer products being about
$81 billion)
·
Organic food is the fastest
growing sector of the American food industry.
·
Organic food sales
have grown by 17 to 20 percent a year in the early
2000s while
sales of conventional food have grown only about 2 to 3 percent a year. The US
organic market grew 9.5% in 2011, breaking the $30bn barrier for the first
time, and continued to outpace sales of non-organic food.
· In 2003 organic products were available in
nearly 20,000 natural food
stores and 73% of
conventional grocery stores.
· Organic products accounted for 3.7% of total
food and beverage
cheese and yogurt are sold through conventional supermarkets.
· As of 2012, most independent organic food
processors in the USA
had been acquired by
multinational firms.
· In order for a product to become USDA organic
certified, the farmer
cannot plant GMO
seeds, livestock cannot eat plants that have GMO product in them. Farmers must
provide substantial evidence showing there were no GMOs used from beginning to
table.
Canada
· Organic food sales surpassed $1 billion in
2006, accounting for 0.9%
of food sales in
Canada. By 2012, Canadian organic food sales reached $3 billion.
· Organic food sales by grocery stores were 28%
higher in 2006 than in
2005.
· British Columbians account for 13% of the
Canadian population, but
purchased 26% of the
organic food sold in Canada in 2006.
Europe
Denmark
·
In 2012, organic
products accounted for 7.8% of the total retail consumption market in Denmark,
the highest national market share in the world. Many public institutions have
voluntarily committed themselves to buy some organic food and in Copenhagen
75 % of all food served in public institutions is organic. A governmental
action plan initiated in 2012-2014 aims at 60 % organic food in all public
institutions across the country before 2020.
Austria
·
In 2011, 7.4% of all
food products sold in Austrian supermarkets (including discount stores) were
organic. In 2007, 8,000 different organic products were available.
Italy
·
Since 2000, the use of
some organic food is compulsory in Italian schools and hospitals. A 2002 law of
the Emilia Romagna region implemented in 2005, explicitly
requires that the food in nursery and primary schools (from 3 months to 10
years) must be 100% organic, and the food in meals at schools, universities and
hospitals must be at least 35% organic.
Poland
·
In 2005 7 percent of
Polish consumers buy food that was produced according to the EU-Eco-regulation.
The value of the organic market is estimated at 50 million Euros (2006).
Romania
·
70%–80% of the local
organic production, amounting to 100 million Euros in 2010, is exported. The
organic products market grew to 50 million Euros in 2010.
Switzerland
·
As of 2012, 11 per
cent of Swiss farms are organic. Bio Suisse (de), the Swiss organic producers' association,
provides guidelines for organic farmers.
Ukraine
·
In 2009 Ukraine was in
21st place in the world by area under cultivation of organic food. Much of its
production of organic food is exported and not enough organic food is available
on the national market to satisfy the rapidly increasing demand. The size
of the internal market demand for organic products in Ukraine was estimated at
over 5 billion euros in 2011, with rapid growth projected for this segment in
the future. Multiple surveys show that the majority of the population of
Ukraine is willing to pay more to buy organic food. On the other hand,
many Ukrainians have traditionally maintained their own garden plots, and this may result in underestimation of how much organically
produced food is actually consumed in Ukraine.
·
The Law on Organic
Production was passed by Ukraine's parliament in April of 2011, which in addition to
traditional demands for certified organic food also banned the use of GMOs or any products
containing GMOs. However, the law was not signed by the President of
Ukraine and in September of 2011 it was repealed by the Verkhovna Rada itself. Attempts to
pass a new law on organic food production took place throughout 2012.
United Kingdom
·
Organic food sales
increased from just over £100 million in 1993/94 to £1.21 billion in 2004 (an
11% increase on 2003). In 2010, the UK sales of organic products fell 5.9%
to £1.73 billion. 86% of households buy organic products, the most popular
categories being dairies (30.5% of sales) and fresh fruits and vegetables
(23.2% of sales). 4.2% of UK farmland is organically managed.
Cuba
·
After the collapse of
the Soviet Union in 1991, agricultural inputs that had
previously been purchased from Eastern bloc countries were no longer available in Cuba, and many Cuban
farms converted to organic methods out of necessity. Consequently, organic
agriculture is a mainstream practice in Cuba, while it remains an alternative
practice in most other countries. Although some products called organic in Cuba
would not satisfy certification requirements in other countries (crops may
be genetically modified, for example), Cuba exports organic citrus
and citrus juices to EU markets that meet EU organic standards. Cuba's forced
conversion to organic methods may position the country to be a global supplier
of organic products.
From:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_food#Economics