Supermarket sales of organic food and drink have increased for seven consecutive years, marking strong growth.
According to new independent data, figures have shown total sales organic fresh produce and dairy sales hitting a record £2.2 billion.
Liz Bowles, Soil Association’s head of farming, said: “We know that interest in organic food has been growing in recent years and it’s great to see that farmers continue to be rewarded for growing food as it should be, with no artificial additives, fewer pesticides, no GM and with the highest standards of animal welfare.”
“Sales in 2018 are continuing to grow although all UK agricultural businesses are suffering from the unprecedented drought and heat which has affected large parts of the globe,” she added.
The data showed that in the 52 weeks to the end of June, shoppers spent £1.5 billion on organically grown food and drink.
Sales continued to increase this year, despite the extreme weather leading to a cold winter and a hot, dry summer which put strain on crops.
Sales of organically grown food and drink have significantly grown since the recession.
While the sector may have hit record highs, it is still very small in comparison to the overall food and drink sector, which is worth £28.8 billion according to the Food and Drink Federation.
Big brands have seen the potential of the growing organically grown food and drinks market and have begun entering the market. This includes Red Bull’s new Organics soft drinks range and Coca-Cola’s (NYSE: KO) Honest Kids Organic Juice.
The data was supplied by Nielsen Scantrack and was revealed by the Soil Association, a trade body which licenses organic products and promotes organic farming.
The Soil Association Certification certifies over 70 percent of all UK organic products. Last year the trade body approved over 3,000 new products and producers, including seaweed gin.
