Sales of organic products in the UK fell by 12.9% in 2009 to £1.84bn, following the toughest economic climate for 20 years, according to the Organic Market Report published by the Soil Association.
Despite this, the report also indicates clear signs of increasing confidence amongst consumers, with the Soil Association predicting a modest market expansion of between 2% to 5% in 2010.
The three biggest categories of organic food – dairy, fruit and vegetables, and fresh meat – saw supermarket sales fall by 6.5%, 14.8% and 22.7% respectively.
In contrast, organic milk bucked the trend in dairy sales growing by 1%, with 2009 being the best year for organic milk sales on record, and organic baby food sales, resilient throughout 2009, grew by 20.8% passing the £100m mark.
Peter Melchett, Soil Association policy director, said: “It has been a tough year for the organic market, but we have seen businesses that are most committed to communicating the many, real benefits of organic food and farming to the public perform best.
“Confidence is now returning, and with the growing recognition of the need for environmentally sustainable production systems that are less reliant on fossil fuels, we are confident that the organic market, having weathered the recession, will return to growth.”
