Italy’s organic sector takes the brunt of the crisis. After the big growth in the 2020-2021 pandemic biennium, domestic consumption is holding back. Instead, those in the restaurant industry are returning to growth, andexports continue to rise.
The scenario emerges from Nomisma data presented at Bio Revolution 2022, at SANA, the International Exhibition of Organic and Natural Products at BolognaFiere.
Bio Revolution 2022, Nomisma data
The domestic organic market in 2022 (year ending July) reflects the combined effects of inflation (+10.4 in August) and the easing of restrictions dictated by the pandemic:
– 89% of Italian households have bought organic at least once, in line with the 2021 figure. However, household consumption will decline by 0.8 percent,
– more than 6 out of 10 Italians consumed organic products outside the home, in bars, restaurants, pizzerias etc. Here there is an increase in organic consumption of +53 percent, compared to 2021, worth 1 billion euros. Thanks to recovered sociality and organic food offerings in mass catering (+20%) and commercial catering (+79%).
Overall, these are sales of 5 billion euros, 3.5 percent of global organic retail sales.
Where organic is purchased
The performance of sales channels in 2022 in comparison with 2021 confirms an already observed trend:
- specialty stores -8%,
- modern distribution +0.8%,
- other channels +5%. This includes direct sales in markets and businesses, GAS fair trade buying groups, as well as pharmacies, parapharmacies and herbalist shops.
The primacy of modern distribution
Modern distribution remains the primary channel for organic purchases. It accounts for 57 percent of total sales for domestic consumption. In 2022, sales are worth 2.3 billion.
In this area,
– hyper and supermarkets convey the majority of organic sales: 1.4 billion as of July 2022, down from last year (-2.0%),
– discount stores, the second largest, mark organic sales of 272 million euros, up 14 percent,
– superettes + convenience stores, with sales of 159 million euros, give up -4.6 percent,
– Drug Specialists (or Home & Personal Specialists) mark +5.7 percent in sales, although they remain a small portion of modern distribution.
Well, finally, the
ecommerce
. With +5% sales in 2022 for 78 million euros.
What Italians buy
The best-selling product categories in modern distribution are.
- grocery (pasta, baked goods, canned goods, sauces), which is worth 57 percent of total value sales,
- fresh (cheese, cold cuts, yogurt, eggs), 20%,
- fruit and vegetables, 13 percent.
The best-selling foods are, as in 2021, eggs, fruit-based jams and spreads, and milk replacement drinks.
The most lively sales trend detects for pet care and organic meat: +19% and +15%.
Export on the upswing
While domestic consumption is still at a lower level than neighboring countries,exports continue to grow, ranking Italy first in export value.
In 2022, exports reached 3.4 billion euros, up +16 percent from the previous year, to 3.4 billion euros in sales in international markets.
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
