According to a recent report from the French Organic agency, in the first semester of 2013, the surface of organic agriculture in France reached over 1 million hectares and the number of organic food producers reached over 25,000.
This increase in production is in tandem with consumer demand that reached over €4 billion in 2012, which is double the 2007 figure and an increase of 6.6% compared to 2011.
The French organic food market represented 2.4% of the overall food market in 2012 compared to 1.3% in 2007. The market share is most important for eggs (15%) and milk (9%).
The main three motivations for French consumers to buy organic products are to maintain good health, to preserve food taste and quality and to protect the environment. As mentioned in a previous Food Alert, organic food has already gained strong focus with traditional supermarkets.
The top three leading specialised organic retail groups in France are Biocoop, Biomonde, and La Vie Claire. Specialised organic retail groups represented 27% of organic food sales in 2012, whereas traditional Supermarkets and Hypermarkets represented 47%. The remaining share was sold either direct from the producer or through artisan outlets.
The fastest growing organic food categories in France in 2012 are beverages, seafood and fruit and veg.
Irish organic mussels were the first mussels to have achieved organic status in Europe and are gaining reputation in France, as demonstrated in an early December retail group promotional catalogue. Mussels have very high nutritional values due, in particular, to the presence of important minerals necessary for brain development.
Irish organic mussels and salmon are grown in coastal areas void of heavy industry and in respect of the environment and biodiversity. These coastal zones therefore have exceptionally low levels of persistent contaminants, as testified by tests carried out by the Irish Marine Institute.
Source: BordBia – Continued Growth in the French Organic Food Market
