The figures for the first half of 2022 (sales of 431 million euros), with an increase of 2.5 percent in the organic share, give reason to hope that the organic market will continue to develop well, says Michael Blass, Managing Director of AMA-Marketing. It shows that the prices for organic food in the AMA shopping basket have risen less than those for conventional goods. “While the prices for conventional products increased by 7.8 percent in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year, the increase in the organic shopping basket is 3.5 percent,” calculated Blass.
81 percent of all organic food is sold through food retailers, 14 percent through direct sales and specialist retailers, and 5 percent of the overall organic market is in the catering trade. Milk and natural yoghurt accounted for the highest proportion of organic products in the first half of 2022. The proportion of organic butter, cheese, sausage and ham also increased slightly. “In terms of value, organic meat and organic poultry even increased by 1.5 percentage points compared to the past two half-years. Fruit and vegetables are also more often bought in organic quality. Only in the product groups potatoes and eggs is there a decline recorded,” said Agrar Markt Austria.
Almost every household in Austria bought at least one organic product from January to June 2022. The frequency of purchases has decreased slightly and buying habits are slowly adapting to pre-corona levels. Nevertheless, the AMA is satisfied that almost 31 kg of organic food ended up in the shopping trolleys.
She asked about the motives for organic shopping in a survey: The “heavy users” gave animal welfare as the main motive for choosing organic products, followed by issues such as sustainability and climate protection. The motives for the “average user”, on the other hand, are more about self-care and taste.
Source: Nachrichten
