The UK Organic Market Report revealed 2020 was the highest year on year growth rate in the organic market since 2005, with a tenth consecutive year of growth.
Finn Cottle, trade consultant at Soil Association Certfication, 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, with stand-out growth of 36.2% in this channel.”
The organic market is predicted to reach £2.9Bn by the end of 2021 and according to the report more than £50m a week was being spent on the organic market throughout last year.
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 and 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.”
Categories that experienced increased sales include:
- Produce= 15.5%
- Canned and packaged items= 19.8%
- Meat, fish and poultry= 16.8%
- Chilled foods= 22.2%