At the end of the year 2021, organic food sales in Italy will reach 4.6 billion euros, recording a 5% increase compared to 2020. The forecast is from the SANA 2021 Observatory managed by Nomisma (a company in Bologna specialized in market research). With a value of over 3.8 billion euros, consumption at home represents the most important market share (+4% compared to 2020). Away from home dynamics is positively affected by the progressive reopening of restaurants and public establishments, the return to mobility and the progressive working from home decrease.
Fruit and vegetables are the most requested organic products, accounting for 46.8%. This data underlines that Italians appreciate more fresh organic products.
The reference channel is modern distribution. In fact, in 2021, organic sales reached 2.2 billion euros in supermarkets and other modern distribution formats (source Nielsen), accounting for 56% of total at home consumption, with a growth of 2% over 2020. In second place, specialized shops’ network reaches one billion euros in sales and keeps on growing, recording an 8% increase compared to the previous year.
Within modern distribution, in 2021 the Hyper+Super channel carries 1.4 billion euros in sales of organic products (source Nielsen). In terms of size, the discount channel follows (205 million euros), showing a marked growth (+11%). But it is e-commerce to mark the most significant increase: +67%, with 75 million euros in sales.
The projections at the end of 2021 are based on the comparison of the 12 months from July 2020 to July 2021 compared to the previous 12 months.
