Italy’s organic market grew strongly during the year ending July 2022 to be worth €5 billion, according to a new report from Nomisma.
Much of the growth came from an exceptional performance from the organic out-of-home sector (commercial and public catering), up by 53% on 2020-21 figures.
The data was revealed in a presentation at the Sana trade show and conference in Bologna.
The new study shows that Italy now has the largest area of organic land as a proportion of total farmland of any EU country at 17% (against an EU average of 9%), with 2.2 million hectares now under organic systems.
While there was outstanding growth in the organic out-of-home sector (with commercial operators – restaurants, cafes and hotels – up by 79%), there was a slight decline (-0.8%) in overall household consumption of organic in 2021-22. The report’s authors attribute this to a poorer performance by specialist organic retail chains.
Italian organic exports grew strongly again, up by 16% to be worth €3.4 billion.
Since 2012, Italy’s domestic market for organic food has grown by 131%, demonstrating strong growth over a full decade.