During the first six months of the year, sales of organic food rose by 9.3 percent in volume compared with the same period last year.
In kronor, consumers spent 5.3 percent more on organic food, a faster increase than in the grocery trade overall, according to statistics from NielsenIQ.
“Consumers’ purchasing power has started to return,” says Emma Rung.
Meat, fruit and berries
Other likely explanations can be found in the retail trade, she believes: a wider range of organic products, greater visibility in stores and more advertising campaigns.
The biggest sales increases were for packaged meat, frozen fruit and berries, and cooking cheeses such as halloumi and mozzarella.
The long-term decline in demand for organic food in Sweden has had tangible effects on agriculture. In the peak year of 2019, 20.4 percent of Swedish agricultural land was farmed organically. Last year, the proportion had fallen to 15.9 percent.
The number of Swedish companies with organically farmed agricultural land fell over the same period, from 5,658 in 2019 to 3,669 last year, according to the Swedish Board of Agriculture.
Opposite trend
Meanwhile, the trend in many other countries has been the opposite.
“In large parts of Europe and in the USA, organic has taken off. The fact that Sweden is now stepping up and contributing to this increase is fantastic,” says Emma Rung.
It is too early to say whether the increased sales during the first six months of the year will be followed by continued growth.
“Now it is about capitalising on the change in trend and creating positive, lasting development. Many of us need to contribute.”
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