During the pandemic, we have seen strong sales growth of organic foods in the world, but not in Sweden. For the first time in 12 years, sales are now declining, according to the analysis company EkoWeb.

In countries such as the United States, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, sales of organic food and beverages have increased sharply during the pandemic. According to some experts, the explanation lies in the fact that consumers have had more time to reflect on how the food they eat not only affects their own health but also the climate and biodiversity.

In Sweden, we do not see the same development despite the fact that sales of food have generally increased in the grocery trade as a result of us cooking and eating more food at home and less food out in restaurants, bars and cafes during the pandemic. Statistics from the analysis company EkoWeb show that organic food sales are losing market share - a decrease of 0,3 percentage points from 9 percent in 2019 to 8,7 percent in 2020.

One reason for the development is that the grocery trade has sharply reduced the marketing of the organic segment over the past four years. Since 2016, the grocery trade has reduced its campaigns for organic by as much as 33 percent, according to information from the company Matpriskollen.

A bright spot presented in EkoWeb's report, however, is e-commerce, where the proportion of organic food is two to three times higher than in stores, which is explained by the fact that organic alternatives have better exposure in digital contexts - compared to physical stores where shelf placement and exposure are complete crucial for sales.

Despite the fact that the market for organic food and drink has leveled off in recent years and is now declining, Sweden is still one of the countries in the world with the highest proportion of consumption of organic per capita. In addition, 20 percent of Sweden's agricultural area is organically certified - only four countries in the world have a higher proportion of organic agricultural land. In addition, 38 percent of the consumption in our public kitchens is organic - no country in the world has a higher proportion of organic food in preschools, schools, hospitals and nursing homes.

Sweden needs to maintain its position as a world-class eco-country! We need to do it for biodiversity, for the climate and not least for more animals to get out into the open and graze, beech and pick grass.

Download the full report here: Organic Food Market 2021

Read more about the added values ​​with organic:

• New report: Organic farming contributes to eight of the UN's global goals
• Organic farming - an important part of the EU's new climate strategy
• Global roadmap to stop insect collapse
• New overview study confirms the environmental benefits of organic
• Fertilizers threaten climate goals