According to new figures from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, organic food sales hit record levels in 2017 reaching €1.9bn, up 16.4 per cent on 2016 and almost double the €1bn quoted in 2013.
Speaking at BioCultura Madrid earlier this month, Francisco Javier Maté, deputy general director for differentiated quality and organic agriculture at MAPA, revealed that Spanish shoppers are increasingly opting for organic and are now spending over €5m a day on organic food and drink.
Vegetables, fruit, and cereals continue to be the most popular organic categories, he said, with the former enjoying a significant 44 per cent share of organic sales.
Organic produce is now more widely available in Spain and more popular than ever before, with organic now accounting for €2 out of every €100 spent on groceries.
The movement towards healthier, more sustainable and eco-conscious lifestyles in Spain, as around the world, has influenced personal attitudes and ultimately, impacted everyday spending habits – particularly among the under 25s, who are now the main organic consumers in Spain.
Not only is Spain Europe’s biggest producer of organics, with over t2m ha dedicated to organic agriculture and livestock (more than double what was worked ten years ago), it is also now one of the most important organic markets in the world.
Commenting on the Ministry’s latest data, Susana Andrés Omella, project director of Organic Food Iberia, said: “Organic production is one of the biggest opportunities for the Spanish economy right now. These new figures clearly show that Spaniards increasingly value organic – and more of them are buying it more regularly.'
