Organic food sales in Italian supermarkets and hypermarkets amounted to €1.45 billion in the 12 months ending 30 November 2017.
This is according to the annual report by Italy's organic association AssoBio, in collaboration with Nomisma.
These figures represent 16.6% growth compared to the previous year, with a €166 million increase in value sales, higher than the overall food market, which saw 4.1% growth.
Additionally, 21% of Italian households now purchase organic products at least once a week.
Organic Trends
The top-selling organic products in Italy's food retail channel are jam, eggs, milk, pasta, olive oil, dried fruit, and yogurt, reports Adn Kronos.
According to AssoBio president Roberto Zanoni, the number of Italian households who consume organic products has gone up by one million in the past year, reaching over 20 million people.
He added that the main reasons shoppers opt for organic products are the reduction of additives, the overall quality, and the respect for the environment.
The increase in consumption of organic products has also led to a 6% drop of prices in the last year, making the organic choice increasingly accessible.
Data from the Nielsen-AssoBio Observatory reveals that supermarkets now account for 39% of national sales of organic products, surpassing specialised stores with 29%.
The increasing popularity of organic products has led large retailers, from Coop to Carrefour, to launch their own organic lines.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
