Organic food sales in Sweden returned to growth in 2020, after a recent period of market stagnation, says the country’s KRAV label.
According to new data from Nielsen, sales of KRAV-labelled products in the country’s grocery stores and in e-commerce increased by SEK 65 million last year compared with 2019, an increase of just over 1%. In terms of volumes, sales of KRAV-labeled increased even more, by about 3%.
In total, sales of organic food in Swedish stores and e-commerce increased by SEK 340 million in 2020, an increase of 3.5% compared with the previous year.
Last year the specialist organic consultancy Ekoweb reported that the Swedish organic market had stalled in 2019, and, when the retail price index was taken into account, had actually contracted.
KRAV CEO Anita Falkenek (pictured) described the uplift in 2020 as “gratifying both for the environment and for all KRAV-certified food producers”.
However, Falkenek says the figures for organic need to be seen in the context of a strong overall performance by the general grocery trade, and a slight decline in the proportion of organic and KRAV-labeled products.
“It is a good sign that both sales value and volume are increasing, but of course we also want the proportion of KRAV-labeled to increase”
“It is a good sign that both sales value and volume are increasing, but of course we also want the proportion of KRAV-labeled to increase, as this would mean even greater sustainability benefits. We see that there is great potential for further investments in organic and KRAV-labeled in 2021 and onwards.”
Commenting on the latest organic sales data, Mattis Bergquist, sustainability manager at supermarket chain Coop, said: “The KRAV label is a well-known label with requested added values and we therefore label KRAV a large proportion of the Änglamark (private label) range. We want in every way to make it easier for our customers to make more sustainable choices.”
All images: KRAV
