A report by Soil Association Certification has revealed that sales of organic produce to the UK foodservice sector rose by almost 8% in 2018.
Valuing £90.9m, the report claims that this growth is partly attributed to continued interest in the certification body’s Food For Life scheme.
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According to the report, the organics market has seen a 5.3% increase in sales to £2.33bn in 2018.
Organic food is said to represent 1.5% of the overall food and drink market in the UK, which is expected to increase to £2.5bn by 2020.
The market has also seen a 14.2% increase in the home delivery of organic food. This category now represents 14% of all organic food sales, which is expected to rise to 25% by 2023.
Soil Association Certification business development director Clare McDermott said: “Organic is in the right place to capitalise on many of the consumer trends we’re currently seeing across retail.
“We know that more shoppers are looking to purchase sustainable products to reduce their impact on the planet, and this has combined with an increasing value being placed on transparency and traceability in the food system, more local and online shopping, and increasing interest in healthy options, where organic is often seen as a signpost to healthy choice.”
The report also noted that categories such as wine, chilled food, canned items and packaged groceries are expected to grow across the organic market.
