agricultural
Appetite for organic continues to grow – prices are rising
Organic food is still mainly bought in supermarkets. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Organic is becoming more and more popular. And the federal government also wants to step on the gas in ecological production. But the organic areas are still growing slowly.
Consumers in Germany once again bought more organic food last year. This year, however, they will probably have to adjust to higher prices.
“So far we’ve only had to deal with slight price increases in stores,” said industry expert Diana Schaak from the Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft on Tuesday. However, this is likely to change this year due to higher producer prices and higher energy and transport costs.
According to a survey commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, 38 percent of those surveyed bought organic food often or only – compared to 37 percent in the survey last year. 41 percent stated that they often want to buy organic products in the future – according to the “Eco-Barometer”, only six percent plan to do so.
More than just a trend
“Organic has long been more than just a trend,” said Federal Food Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) of the German Press Agency. The Ministry sees greater growth potential in the catering trade and generally in out-of-home catering. Funding is intended to further improve the conditions for production, processing and marketing.
According to the Bund Ökologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft (BÖLW), organic food and beverages in Germany achieved sales of almost 16 billion euros last year, an increase of almost six percent compared to the record year 2020 caused by corona. Around one to two percent of the sales increases went 2021 back to price increases, four to five percent to volume increases, said Schaak.
BÖLW Chairwoman Tina Andres said that the purchasing behavior of consumers is changing, especially when it comes to meat and meat substitutes. According to BÖLW information, organic now has a share of almost seven percent in the German food market.
“The growth in the organic sector should not hide the fact that organic is still a niche,” said the managing director of the consumer organization Foodwatch, Chris Methmann. “Organic meat has a market share of less than 5 percent, organic sausage even less.” The federal government’s goal that 30 percent of German agricultural land should be farmed organically by 2030 does not solve the serious problems in agriculture and food production.
Originally, BÖLW and Organics International wanted to present the current figures for the national and international organic market at the world’s largest organic food fair, Biofach, in Nuremberg. However, this was postponed from February to July due to the corona pandemic.
According to the BÖLW, every seventh farm in Germany now operates ecologically. In 2021, 320 farms switched to organic farming, the area increased by almost 5 percent to almost 1.78 million hectares – almost 11 percent of German agricultural land. In order to achieve the goal of 30 percent by 2030 set out in the coalition agreement, 12 percent of organic land would have to be added each year, said Andres. This requires a political framework and more financial support.